a chance that i didn't want
by karma-is-a-turtle
Summary: Katsuki has regrets about a lot of things in his life. He regrets what he told Deku. He regrets being a bully. But no matter how much regret he feels, it will never be enough for the world to accept him as a hero once again. Four years later, an incident during patrol sends him careening into the past and he faces a question he never thought he'd ask. 'Do I want to be a hero'
1. i don't deserve to be a hero

Katsuki regretted how he treated Deku when they were kids.

The guilt had started building up well into their first year and had never left since. It haunted him, trailed after him like helpless sheep, rewarding him with a sharp prod in the stomach if he ever glanced at Deku.

Katsuki had finally choked down enough pride to properly apologise in their second year. It'd become too much by then, once a sharp prod had become an agonizing punch, socking him in the stomach if he dared to even _think _about Deku.

So he apologised. It was a pathetic affair, with no shortage of tears and shouts, but it happened and Deku accepted and, really, that was all Katsuki wanted.

3-A had found out purely by accident. It'd been a slip of the tongue to Shitty-Hair, overheard by Robot Cop and quickly spread to the whole class. Katsuki had a miserable two weeks afterwards, the entire class had all but given him the cold shoulder.

Eventually, though, with Deku's prodding, they did all forgive him. Some, with only brief hesitation, others, quite grudgingly, but by the time Katsuki graduated he was in, more or less, decent terms with everyone in the class.

Had Katsuki expected it to bite him in the back at some point? Yes, vaguely. Pinky's incessant babbling about '_cancel culture'_ and whatnot had given him some clue about _could _happen.

Did he care at the time? No, not really, if the truth ever actually out to the media, he'd always figured he'd just ignore it, maybe get himself wasted for a week while all the other extras caused a fuss.

He supposed that years of living with the guilt had desensitised the situation to him, made it less of an unforgivable sin and more of a burden that he would have to carry with him for the rest of his life. But not even Mina, the supposed _social media expert, _had predicted the sheer outrage it caused.

Because here Katsuki was, four years after some shitty classmates from middle school ran their mouths, standing in front of the shabby house - _cramped, and barely glazed with a coat of washed-out paint_ \- he called home, still feeling the repercussions of a single sentence.

Smeared in red across the door were the words _VILLAIN. _Inscribed neatly underneath was _JUST TAKE A SWAN DIVE OFF THE FUCKING ROOF._

Beneath that was a poorly drawn picture of a building that a stick figure was flinging themselves off.

The gauntlets it wore faintly resembled his own.

Katsuki slammed the door open, shutting with a vicious yank that prompted a slight shudder.

He stomped his way into his bedroom _\- a glorified closet, really, any more than two people in there at once would be a tight fit - _and flung himself onto the bed, only floundering briefly to rip off his bracers _\- carefully, the Hero Association won't pay for new ones. _

Katsuki let out soft exhale and shuffled underneath his ratty covers.

_Sleep._ That was what he needed after a day of heroing and training.

His precious soon-to-be sleep was interrupted by the short, blaring sound of his notification ringtone.

Katsuki cursed under his breath, rifling through his costume for the cracked masterpiece that was his phone. Scrolling past the dozens of unread messages Deku had sent him, he found his thumb resting on a notification from the Hero Billboard Chart.

_{Congratulations, __**Ground Zero**__, you've moved up from __**Rank 587**_ _to __**Rank 580**__!}_

He clenched his phone rigidly in his palm, fighting the urge to throw it across the room.

_**[I'm going to be Number One!]**_

_[Sensei, do you think I should quit?]_

_**[I'll be better than All Might!]**_

_[It's no use. I'll never make it into the Top 500, let alone Number One]_

_._

.

.

.

_[Do I even deserve to be a hero?]_

Carefully, he slid the phone back into his costume, hugging his now trembling hand to his chest.

Katsuki choked out a laugh. It was bitter, sour, hacking its way out of his throat like a ball of vomit.

_Fuck._

Another followed, and another, and another, until he was convulsing on his bed in strangled laughter.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck_

Back when those words had first started flashing across headlines, he'd never thought he'd start believing them.

* * *

'_Perhaps he doesn't…'_

* * *

'_He sure as fuck shouldn't…' _

* * *

'_I don't think he…'_

* * *

'_**...deserves to be a hero.'**_


	2. how it all ended

"_Ground Zero, a villain has been cornered at an abandoned building near your current location, Deku is already on the scene. I'll forward the coordinates to you right away."_

Deku. Hah. Just his luck. How long had it been since he'd seen the nerd anyway?

"_Ground Zero?"_

Katsuki tsked, weaving through the hordes of civilians that swarmed the street _\- and ignoring the resentful glares thrown his way - _before breaking into a sprint towards a rickety building that was smoking like crazy.

"Already on it, Hiko," he gruffed. The bracers stuck to his hands began to spit sparks of warning.

"_Great,"_ the monotonous voice continued, "_I'll hook you up with Deku then."_

Dully, he realised someone was booing at him.

"Fine," Katsuki bit out, gaze narrowing at the smoking building that was drawing nearer and nearer.

"_Kacchan!" _an obnoxiously cheerful sound drilled into his earpiece. "_Oh my god! I haven't talked to you in ages-"_

"Shut up, Deku," he snapped, out of habit more than anything, before the glares that pierced through him sharpened. "What do you know?"

"_Oh right, uh, wait," _Deku paused, and brief shifting and fumbling noises crackled through the earpiece for a couple of seconds. "_Right, well, it's not a new villain. He goes by the name 'Karma' and, from what Hiko told me, he seems to take inspiration from the Hero Killer, so I guess that doesn't bode well. His Quirk is unknown, but Hiko reckons it's got something to do with his name."_

Well, that was great to know. Too bad fucking Hiko couldn't have told him earlier.

"Right," he let out a sharp breath, slowing his steady sprint to a stop as he ran his gaze over the building in front of him. Apart from the smoke billowing out the top, the building wasn't too special, just one of many among a mass of corporate offices.

"Has everyone been evacuated?"

"_Yes. I made sure to spread the word before I went in."_

_And I bet they were all fucking delighted to listen to the Number One Hero._

Katsuki shook his head, batting away the bitter thoughts.

"Deku, I'm coming in."

"_On the ground floor, Kacchan. Third door on the first corridor. Karma's somewhere here too, I haven't seen him yet."_

Katsuki frowned as he quietly slipped into the building. "You haven't gone looking?"

"_I have," _he could hear the shrug in his voice, "_but I can't find him. He hasn't done anything yet, so I don't want to damage the building for no reason."_

"Right." First corridor, the third door. He could see it now. "I'm here, Deku."

Katsuki creaked the door open as quietly he could before closing it firmly behind him. He took a long look around the room - _plain, spacious, big enough for a fight, probably - _before finally meeting Deku's gaze.

The nerd looked exactly the same; mossy, crimped hair and puffed-out freckled cheeks. Only the wrinkle lines that creased his forehead and eyes showed any hint of the time that had gone by.

"Kacchan," a soft, gentle _\- pitying - _voice broke him out of his musings, "you look… tired."

Katsuki sneered at Deku and that sad, little smile on his face. "No better than you did three years ago."

Three years ago. When All Might died.

Deku flinched. Katsuki regretted bringing it up almost immediately.

_Just one more regret to add to a pile of hundreds._

"Anyway," he snapped, gaze darting towards the door, "we need to find that villain."

Deku began to nod, a familiar buzz of green lightening already encasing his body.

"Right," he said, "you start from this end and I'll go from-"

"THERE SHALL BE NO NEED FOR THAT!'

The door was slammed open and Katsuki was met with the cocksure figure of a young man with piercing gold eyes.

He wore drab, baggy suspenders that clung loosely over a red shirt. In his hands, he held a funny looking mace with a clown face engraved on its head. It was an almost child-like appearance, one so clearly contradicted by the deranged smile on his face,

"Karma," Deku whispered, clenching both his fists, "the man who bombed three hero offices in one night."

Katsuki stiffened. _What? _

The twisted grin across Karma's face grew. "Ah, yes," he said, twirling the mace in his hands, "a pity you heroes were so hush-hush about it." Vivid amber eyes cast an amused glance at Katsuki. "No surprise that they didn't tell _you_."

He gritted his teeth at the jab giving Deku a glare that promised questions.

"But that is not the point of my visit!" the man shouted. "The point," he jabbed a finger at Katsuki, "is to take care of undeserving heroes like _you._"

Katsuki bared his teeth at the villain, explosions spitting from his palms. It wasn't the first time he'd come across self-righteous criminals like this one, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

The villain only huffed at him, his mace hugged to his chest as golden eyes creased into a narrow slits. "But first," he darted towards Deku, a single finger outstretched as the hero leapt forward, "let's see how well our Number One Hero fares."

Katsuki could only watch, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, as Deku crumbled to the floor with a single touch.

"_Deku!" _he yelled, scurrying to the man's side. He was choking on air like it was wringing his lungs, coughing and hacking as he clawed bloody scratches into his skin. Katsuki grabbed Deku's arms, struggling to keep them from injuring the hero further.

"Fuck," he cursed, gaze darting towards the villain to glare at him. "What'd you do to him, you shitty bastard?"

An amused smile curved its way onto the villain's face as he continued to twirl the mace in one hand. He held up a single finger with the other.

"My quirk is called _Karma_," he said, "depending on how many fingers I touch someone with, I can force them to injure themselves based on how much guilt they currently feel." He smirked at Deku, who was still writhing on the floor. "Not surprised that the Number One Hero carries so much with him, all the good heroes do."

Karma stared at his outstretched finger consideringly, before raising it to two, then three, then four, then all five.

"I wonder," he said, brandishing his five fingers, "what would happen if I touched him with all five-"

Katsuki was on him before he could even finish, hurling a hand towards the villain and bombarding him with explosion after explosion.

"_FUCK YOU!" _he shouted. Almost a minute passed before he ceased his barrage. Clouds of dust and debris were smothering the air, barring him from the sight of the wreckage he caused.

Karma was nowhere in sight.

"_Ah, ah, ah," _a voice mockingly chided. "_Don't tell you forgot about your precious Deku." _The voice twisted into a shrill laugh, one that pounded against the ravaged walls of the room. "_You don't want him to claw his own eyes out, do you?!"_

Katsuki whipped around behind him. Karma was gazing languidly at Deku, only a couple inches away from the convulsing hero.

Sheer _terror _ate away at his rationale.

"Fuck_,"_ he cursed, launching himself towards Deku as five fingers stretched over the man's face ominously.

The shitty villain was fucking smiling.

"_Three~," _he sang in delight. "_Two~." _His fingers were practically dancing above shitty Deku's tightly clamped eyes, drifting dangerously close at every second.

Katsuki was close, so so close. He stretched out a hand.

"_One."_

Before the villain's fingers could even graze Deku, Katsuki threw himself between them.

"WHAT!" Karma screeched. He practically flung himself against the wall in surprise.

Katsuki grinned viciously, even as he doubled down on the floor.

"_Your… q-quirk," _he choked out, "_you d-didn't use it… on me… because i-it… only works… on… o-one person at a time!"_

He glared at those vivid golden eyes one last time, taking in their abject horror with vindictive glee.

The last thing he heard before he blacked out was the shrill cry of "_Kacchan."_

_Fuckin' Deku._

* * *

_Katsuki glared at Izuku, who was still floundering in front of him, as they marched through the playground._

_He sneered when the boy tripped. "Can't you do anything, Izuku."_

_The boy flinched, twisting his hands nervously as he stumbled to his feet._

"_S-Sorry, Kacchan," he stammered, "I guess I'm not good at everything like you."_

_Katsuki huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. _

"'_Course not, no one's as good as me!" He jabbed a finger at the boy. "Especially not __**you**__, you __**useless Deku**__!"_

"_**D-Deku**__!"_ _Izuku, no, __**Deku**__, stuttered, moisture pooling at the creases of his doe eyes. "Kacchan! I'm not __**useless**__!"_

_Katsuki narrowed his eye at Deku. Firecrackers crackled in his palms. _

"_Are you calling me a __**liar**__, __**Deku**__?" he said dangerously._

_The boy shook his head fervently. "Of course not!"_

"_Good," he huffed, before pointing at the forest ahead. "Now forward! We're going to go exploring!"_

"_Ok, Kacchan!" _

* * *

A copper taste was oozing into his mouth, drenching his tongue and cheeks before getting spat out in a painful cough.

Blood. Katsuki was tasting blood. But why?

**Because you deserve it. You were an asshole to Deku, you **_**deserve **_**this.**

* * *

"_**DEKU**__!" Katsuki slammed his palms on Deku's desk, not even bothering to fight the little surge of twisted glee when the nerd flinched._

"_I heard you put 'hero' as your dream career." Katsuki hissed. Small explosions detonated from his palms, and he leaned in closer. "Is that true, Deku?"_

_Even as he kept his eyes trained on the floor, Deku nodded shakily. "K-Kacchan, I-"_

_Katsuki grabbed Deku's collar and dragged him across his desk. He shoved his face right up to the nerd's, giving him no chance at looking away._

"_You think you can be a hero, __**Deku**__," he seethed. "You're fucking eleven and you still don't have a quirk. What makes you think you even have a __**chance**__!"_

"_B-But Kacchan," the nerd stammered, staring at him earnestly with those shitty green eyes. "I-It's my dream!"_

_Katsuki slammed Deku's chin onto the desk and the nerd cried out in pain. He raked a hand through those stupid green curls and wrenched it towards him. The nerd was trembling. Good._

"_You'll never be a hero, __**Deku**__."_

_Katsuki let his palms explode._

* * *

His arms and legs were searing with pain, as if someone had taken Katsuki's quirk and set it on repeat against all his limbs.

**This is what you did to Deku, isn't it? Set explosions on him? This is **_**karma**_**.**

* * *

_Katsuki paused in front of the door, gaze sliding to where Deku was still quivering by his desk._

_He scoffed._

"_Oi, Deku, if you want a quirk so damn badly," he sneered. "Just take a swan dive off the fucking roof and hope you get one in your next life."_

* * *

**Ah. Telling Deku to commit suicide? I suppose the only way to make up for that…**

Katsuki curled his hands around his throat.

**...is to commit suicide yourself.**

His palms exploded.

* * *

_I'm sorry_

* * *

_I'm sorry_

* * *

_I'm sorry_

* * *

_I'm sorry_

* * *

_I'M SORRY_


	3. back to how it began

Katsuki woke up to blurry vision and the faint feeling of something damp pooling across his cheeks. When he moved his arms they felt light and fragile, and a fleeting brush across his face revealed smooth, supple skin that he hadn't felt since he was in elementary school.

"Kacchan! Kacchan!" a childish voice cried. "Are you okay?"

Katsuki glanced up, gingerly rubbing his eyes as he set his gaze on the toddler in front of him.

Midoriya Izuku stared back in his four-year-old glory. There was no doubting it. Puffy, freckled cheeks unmarked by future scars. Messy, moss-coloured hair that sprouted across his scalp like an unkempt bush.

And All Might forbid, he was wearing that shitty preschool uniform.

"Fine," Katsuki gruffed, out of habit more than anything. He stumbled to his feet on tiny, toddler legs and glanced around, drinking in the familiar sight of the playground that he and Deku had frequented in preschool.

"Katsuki!" a chubby kid called out. He stood on the coarse, green grass not too from him.

_Tsubasa Ken,_ Katsuki remembered blearily, taking in the thin, coffee-coloured hair and reptile-like wings that were buried into his back.

"Why'd you fall down?" the boy asked. His arms were crossed over his chest as he huffed. "I thought your quirk didn't have anything wrong with it?"

Katsuki frowned, taking an unsteady step back as the kid took a step closer.

_What the fuck is going on? Why the hell is Deku a kid? Is this part of that stupid quirk?_

The sun was bright and piercing, blaring sounds of kids laughing coloured the air. Katsuki wasn't in the abandoned building where he met his demise, and there was no sign of the villain that had forced him to blow up his own throat.

Katsuki was… a kid.

"Yeah, Katsuki," another brat - gaunt-faced and thin-lipped - continued. He stood next Tsubasa mulishly, squinting at Katsuki with a thoughtful stare. "You're acting _weird_."

Katsuki balled his hands into fists, firmly ignoring the kid as his gaze darted around his surroundings.

_It looks real. It feels real. It sounds real. But it can't be real._

Panic was slowly stirring inside him, gushing through his body as it trembled, bubbling and frothing while the reality of the situation began to dawn on him.

"K-Kacchan?"

That was Deku. He sounded worried, why did he sound worried?

"K-Kacchan, y-you're breathing really fast? I-I don't think that's good."

Shit. He was hyperventilating. That wasn't good, he needed to figure out what was going on, he couldn't afford to have a panic attack now, he needed to, to, to-

"KACCHAN!"

Katsuki blacked out.

* * *

A couple of hours ago, Bakugou Katsuki had been twenty-eight years old and one of the most hated, yet strongest, Pro-Heroes to grace Japan. Now he was four, with no allegations tied to his name and only the barest grasp of his quirk.

The change was jarring, to say the least.

"Katsuki!" his mother scolded. The knuckles of her hands were latched to her hips as she stared down at him with a glare that could cow even All Might. "Are you listening to me?"

Katsuki tensed. He rubbed his palms together nervously, finding comfort in the familiar burn it provided.

"What?" he mumbled, keeping his eyes trained on the window she stood directly in front of. After his little fainting spell, the preschool teacher had called his parents from work to take him home, which he was grudgingly glad for.

Katsuki didn't think he could handle facing Deku just yet.

"Oi," Mitsuki snapped her fingers in front of him and her brow furrowed when he didn't startle. She snagged his chin and pulled it forward, forcing him to meet her eyes.

His mother didn't look much different, he noted idly. She still sported the same cropped, blonde hair and creamy, pale skin. No surprise, considering her quirk.

"Katsuki," she sounded exasperated. "I just want to know what happened. Can you tell me that much, at least?"

He shrugged and jerked away from her grasp. "I dunno. I just fell."

She rolled her eyes. "I know you _fell_, but _why _did you fall-"

"Mitsuki," his father interrupted gently, finally putting down his newspaper. "Just let him rest. We can talk about this later."

Now _he _looked different. Masura's skin was once again smooth and his hair, still brown. He even had a clean-shaven face and wore those stupid blue, rectangle-shaped glasses he'd owned when Katsuki was a kid.

Before Katsuki had accidentally destroyed them in a fit of rage.

"Fine," Mitsuki huffed. She snatched up his arm and strode towards his room. "Come on, brat, let's get you tucked in."

Katsuki followed after her limply, staring blankly at the back that sauntered confidently in front of him and then at the hand curled protectively over his.

_[Do you know what they're saying? Do you know what they call us? Terrible, neglectful, callous, heartless. It's become our fault too, that you're like this. Did you think about that, about this, when you said those words?]_

"Brat? Katsuki? Oi, you're spacing out."

Katsuki blinked. Mitsuki was crouched in front of him, eyebrows scrunched together as she waved a hand in front of him.

He batted it away.

"Stop that," he growled.

She frowned and slowly stood to her feet.

"You really are out of it, huh," she mused, before jabbing a thumb at the bed behind her. "Alright, enough of this, get yourself snuggled in."

Katsuki shuffled towards the piece of furniture, eyeing the beaming All Might imprinted on the covers with hesitation.

_Right, _he thought as he slowly clambered onto the bed. _All Might's still alive now, his body hasn't killed him yet._

Katsuki slid underneath the covers deliberately and stiffened at the unexpected warmth it provided.

_How long has it been since I've slept in a half-decent blanket? _he mused, squirming at the onslaught of cushion and comfort. _Or a tolerable mattress?_

"Right," Mitsuki said, a smile on her face as she kissed him on the cheek. "I'll wake you up for dinner, rest for now."

Katsuki nodded imperceptibly and buried half his face underneath the covers.

Mitsuki ran a hand through her hair. The smile was still blooming even as she strode towards the door.

"Sleep tight, Katsuki."

Katsuki only huddled into himself further.

He did not sleep tight.

* * *

_Everything smelled like vomit._

_The rancid stench soured the air, stifling every gasp of air Katsuki managed as he slumped, wasted, on the floor of his luxury apartment. His shirt was torn, and his hair, a mess. Empty bottles were strewn across the room, pursued by puddles of alcohol that were splattered at random_

_The front door was slammed open, and Katsuki flinched, recognising the familiar clap of heels storming towards him._

"_Mitsuki! Wait!"_

_A hand yanked his shredded shirt forward and Katsuki was met with the unflinching gaze of Bakugou Mitsuki._

"_Was it true?" she whispered._

"_Mitsuki!"_

_Katsuki slid his gaze behind her. His father stared back, panting and dishevelled by the front door._

_His eyes looked red. Almost like he'd been crying._

"_Katsuki!" His mother shook him, and Katsuki was forced to look back at her. The hand that grasped his shirt was trembling; he could spot her bottom lip doing the same._

"_Yeah," he mumbled. "I told Deku to kill himself."_

_The fabric of his shirt slid past her quivering fingers, and his body hit the floor with a loud __**smack**__._

_A hand __**slapped**_ _him._

_Katsuki only laid there lifelessly, dully aware of the stinging sensation spreading across his cheek._

"_MITSUKI!"_

_She slapped him again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And-_

_Footsteps clamoured towards him, and suddenly his father was by his side, both hands holding his mother's in place._

"_Mitsuki… " He sounded hollow. Broken, almost._

_His mother stared at Katsuki. She tugged her arms from her husband's grasp wordlessly and clasped onto Katsuki's shoulders with a trembling grip. _

"_What would you have done," she rasped, "if he had gone through with it?"_

_Katsuki didn't answer. His mother's eyes were glazed with tears. _

"_Nothing," she summarised, expression twisting resentfully at the blank look fixed onto his face. "You wouldn't have done anything. Just sulk in your room for a week before moving on, I bet."_

'_That's not true,' he wanted to say. 'Even with the dickish personality from middle school, I still would have mourned, I still would've felt guilty.'_

_It would be pointless to argue, though. It sounded pathetic even to Katsuki._

"_Do you know what they're saying?" she said. The shine in her eyes was becoming more prominent as tears slowly began to trail down her cheeks. "Do you know what they call us? Terrible, neglectful, callous, heartless. It's become our fault too, that you're like this. Did you think about that, about this, when you said those words?"_

_Katsuki didn't say anything, he only stared at his mother a couple of seconds longer before letting his head flop back, shifting his gaze to the ceiling._

_What was he supposed to say to that? That he was a self-absorbed brat back then? That he didn't understand the consequences of what he was saying? That he was different now? What could he say that she didn't already know?_

_His mother laughed. It was empty, bitter, and nothing like her at all. "You won't even answer," she said, before snorting, raking a hand over her face. "You know, Katsuki? Sometimes, I wonder if you even care."_

_She stood up, practically snatching away the hand that was still grasping Katsuki's shirt, and stared down at him blankly._

"_I don't want to see you again. Ever."_

_And with that parting sentence, his mother, no, Mitsuki, turned away._

_Katsuki could only close his eyes and listen as the sharp clap of heels grew fainter and fainter. _

_When he finally opened them, his father was gone as well, and Katsuki was left all alone, in his luxury apartment, with only the stench of vomit to comfort him. _

* * *

"Ah, yes. Don't worry, he was fine once we took him home." Mitsuki sighed. "It was probably just a one-time thing."

Katsuki's preschool teacher, Hasumi Sai, cast him another worried glance. Probably because of how hard he was glowering at the shitty toddlers who were gawking at him.

They were being fucking annoying, sue him.

"Are you sure?" she asked, tucking a strand of loose, hazel hair behind her ear. Hasumi had always been a pretty woman; young and sweet as most early childhood teachers were.

She would run a flower shop in the future, which, he supposed, wasn't surprising, considering her quirk was called Bloom.

"Katsuki-kun seemed quite distressed yesterday," the woman continued, "if he needs some more rest then that's perfectly fine."

Mitsuki laughed, patting him roughly on the back.

Katsuki flinched.

"He'll be fine," she reassured. "Katsuki's a tough kid," she nudged him knowingly. "Right?"

Katsuki shrugged. He knew what Mitsuki was doing; she was feeding his pride to cheer him up, something she did so infrequently during his childhood that it was considered a treat.

Not that it had stopped his ego from blowing up like a balloon anyway.

Hasumi gave him a small smile, holding out a hand. "Well then, Katsuki, let's go join your other friends."

He stared at the outstretched hand distastefully.

Now that he thought about it, she'd been one of his teachers who had talked to the media about him, hadn't she?

* * *

"_You were Ground Zero's preschool teacher, weren't you? Tell me, what was he like?"_

_The middle-aged woman shifted uncomfortably in her seat, brushing back greying, brown hair from her face as she stared apprehensively at the mic thrust in front of her._

"_W-Well," she stuttered, "I suppose he'd always been a bit of a bully. He had the flashiest quirk in the class and he'd never fail to remind everyone of it." The woman hummed thoughtfully. "I think he beat up poor Izuku once, just because the boy was trying to stop him from bullying another kid. It was quite sad, really; they were friends at the time."_

_The reporter nodded politely. "I see, I see. So he must have been a tough child to rein in, I assume, if you weren't able to break such an awful habit back then."_

_The woman frowned, cocking her to the side. "Break the habit…?" she stiffened, flushing bright red. "Oh. Y-Yes. He was quite strong-willed - and very relentless in his bullying. Quite difficult to make him stop."_

_The reporter nodded once more before turning back to the camera. "So there you have it. Ground Zero's downright villainous attitude stemmed right from childhood. It brings to question what our so-called hero's parents were doing through his 'bullying phase'-"_

* * *

Katsuki scowled and glared at the woman vehemently. He crossed his hands over his chest and wrinkled his nose in a way that showed that _damn faker exactly what he felt about her and her shitty-_

Mitsuki gave him another sharp nudge and her pointed gaze gained a knife-like edge.

"Katsuki," she said warningly.

He gingerly gave the teacher his hand, making no effort to hide his displeasure.

Mitsuki only smiled and clapped him on the back. It was good enough for her apparently.

"I'll see you after school, Katsuki," she said, twisting towards the door.

He nodded.

Hasumi- no, _Fake Face_ gently tugged him forward as Mitsuki left, herding him to the preschool's playground where all the other kids were.

"Be careful, Katsuki," she lectured, "the moment you feel funny again, come talk to me, okay?"

He scowled, dragging his foot across the ground as he fixed his gaze firmly away from her.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered.

She smiled, patting him lightly on the head, oblivious to the way he flinched.

"Good. Have fun, Katsuki," she said, before bustling away to attend to a kid crying on the swings.

Deku was on him in an instant.

"Kacchan!' Kacchan!" he yelled, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Are you okay? Do you know what happened? Was it your quirk that made you fall?"

Katsuki tensed at his arrival, muscles clenching together like a tightly wound spring as Deku bounded closer and closer.

_Fuck. Fuckfuck. I'm not ready to see him yet, goddamn it. _

"Even if it was your quirk that made you fall I still think it's really cool!" Deku was still talking, bright, bubbly, and naive Deku, so blind to how he squirmed. "Ken said that meant your quirk was weak 'cause it had a drawback, and I know Ken knows a lot 'cause his grandad's a doctor but I think it's still really amazing so don't worry, I'm sure you'll be a super cool hero anyway!"

Deku finished his mini-speech with a big grin, as if the continued admiration of Katsuki's quirk should actually mean two shits to him.

All Katsuki could do was stare at Deku, at the chubby, freckled cheeks, at the frizzy, green hair, and think of _his _Deku, the one who didn't flatter him at his feet, the one who defended both through and after the downfall of his career.

Who never stopped caring no matter how far Katsuki pushed him down.

Katsuki could only look at the sheer _worship_ that shined in Deku's eyes and think _this wasn't Deku._

No, he thought, slowly backing away from the boy. This wasn't Deku, this was _Izuku_, pure and naive Izuku, who had yet to experience how unfair life was, who had yet to see the true horrors of the world around him, and without Katsuki there to goad it on, maybe he never would.

"Kacchan?" Izuku was still staring at him, head slanted to the side as he said, "Kacchan, what's wrong?"

Katsuki balled his hands into fists, clenching his teeth together as he resolutely looked away from those _stupid _green eyes.

"Nothing," he bit out.

Izuku frowned. "Are you sure-"

"Katsuki!" Tsubasa Ken, the fat kid with wings, stumbled towards them. "You're here!"

He wrinkled his nose and drew in on himself as the boy came closer.

"Obviously," was his clipped response.

The boy clapped his hands together, apparently choosing to ignore his disinterest.

"What happened yesterday? Was it your quirk? 'Cause if it was, you should see Grandpa! He's a Quirk Doctor!"

Katsuki shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Cool," he said, gaze wandering away from the kid. He wasn't going to take the kid up on his offer, obviously, he knew exactly what happened yesterday and it had nothing to do with his quirk.

"Hey, Katsuki," another kid, gaunt-faced, thin-lipped, and kind of familiar, stomped up to them. "If your quirk makes you faint, does that mean you can't be a hero?"

The words were coming out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"Of course I-"

He froze.

"K-Kacchan?"

Katsuki snapped his mouth shut, but Izuku was still staring at him. His brows were furrowed together in confusion.

"Kacchan," he said, tilting his head to the side. "Don't you wanna be a hero?"

Katsuki couldn't answer. The words were garbling together at his throat, the instinctive _yes_ was thwarted by a fearful _no._ All that escaped was a tangle of noises that couldn't constitute as _anything_.

"Kacchan?" Izuku's gaze bored into him, unflinching as his mouth twisted into a frown. "You don't wanna be a hero?" The idea seemed incomprehensible for Izuku, who scrunched his face together into one of perplexment. "Why?"

Katsuki couldn't answer. He didn't _have _an answer.

"K-Kacchan! Where are you going?"

Katsuki ignored Izuku and moved robotically towards the preschool's gate that stood ominously on the edge of the grounds. He needed to get away. From Izuku. From his shitty classmates. From his trashy teachers. He needed _peace._

Before he even realised it, Katsuki was out on the streets, toddling along the sidewalk as cars and buses barreled along beside him.

A hero. Hah. Katsuki had never been a true hero, _would_ never be a true hero, considering how badly fucked up when he was a kid. What kind of hero tells someone to kill themself? Katsuki, obviously.

And besides, the entire Hero Association had turned their back on him as soon as everything had come to light. Even when he was just doing his fucking job - _saving _people - they never failed to make his life harder.

He didn't owe those fuckers anything. He didn't owe _anyone_ anything. Not even Izuku.

Deku, he would forever be in the debt of, but _this_ Izuku wouldn't get jackshit of that. Oh, Katsuki wasn't going to bully him, but he certainly wasn't going to try to be his shitty friend either.

Yeah. That was it. Katsuki wouldn't bother becoming a hero and he wasn't going to bother with _anyone_ he knew from UA. He'd already done it before and went through hell and back for it, getting screwed over by himself and others.

This time he wouldn't even try.

Katsuki would just… go to school. Get a job. Make a shit ton of money. And then hide out in some rural mansion that was at least fifty kilometres away from any sort of civilisation for the rest of his life.

Yes. That sounded like a plan. A fucking perfect plan, if he knew he wouldn't feel guilty about the future catastrophes he could probably prevent.

Shit. The League of Villains. All for One. All Might. Shiragaki.

Katsuki balled his hands into fists, knuckles deathly pale from clenching too hard.

It wasn't fair, Katsuki thought bitterly, even if he wanted to live his life away from everything, he'd still have to carry the burden of knowing too much.

Frustration sizzled inside of him, oozing through his veins and setting his jaw into a tight clench.

Katsuki huffed, aggressively kicking a pebble in his path.

_It's not __**fair**__._

A sharp _clang_ brought him out of his wallowing, and Katsuki glanced up, following the noise to a shattered flip-phone that had probably been tossed onto the sidewalk and the pebble that laid innocently next to it.

The brief pang of guilt was soon overridden by a buzz of realization.

Katsuki bent down to pick up the phone, cradling it in his hands as he thumbed the power button. It flickered to life.

He felt giddy.

_I can tell them,_ he thought, sheer _relief_ gushing through him, _I can tell them and make everything I know __**wrong**__._

Katsuki grinned wildly, licking his lips as he glanced around. The streets of Shizuoka were relatively quiet at this time of day, lunch wasn't quite there yet and everyone was still at work. Katsuki doubted anyone would pay attention to the conversation of a four-year-old.

But, he thought, gaze narrowing at a little alleyway tucked obscurely by the edge of the street, it was better safe than sorry.

Katsuki scurried ahead, weaving past the few people strolling through the streets and ducking into the alleyway. He snapped the phone open as soon as he was concealed, and his fingers nervously tapped against the buttons as he mulled over his options.

Who could he call? Tsukauchi, maybe? He was probably a detective by now. Or maybe Aizawa-sensei? He must be a couple of years into his career at this point.

No, he thought, running a thumb over the screen. He needed someone influential, someone powerful, someone who could take immediate action, someone like…

_All Might._

The surge of grief he felt was quickly swallowed by a wave of determination. Deliberately, he dialled each button one-by-one, rapping his spare fingers uneasily as the phone began to buzz.

_I hope he hasn't changed his number._

"_Hello?" _came a deep voice, calm and placid compared to the booming tone the man would sport in the future. "_Hello? Who is this? How do you have this number?"_

Katsuki could feel himself freezing up. His grasp on the device grew rigid and his once steady breaths turned to gulps.

_He's still alive. He's still here. The Symbol of Peace. All Might._

"I… er… well," Katsuki ran a tongue over his lips. Dammit, why was he stuttering?

"_A kid?" _he heard the man mutter, and Katsuki gulped. He'd forgotten that he sounded like a fucking infant.

"_My boy, what's wrong?" _Fuck. All Might sounded kind of worried now. "_Are you in danger? Where are you? Is it-"_

"Your mentor," Katsuki blurted out, "she… she had a son, who had a son, who was abused. His name is Shimura Tenko. He… I think he's with your enemy, All for One. I don't know. Maybe he's still out on the streets. But you need to find him."

"_W-What?"_ the man sputtered. Shock and confusion bled into his voice. "_How do you know that? Who are you?"_

Katsuki didn't answer. His heart was pounding and his teeth were chattering. Every scrap of information he knew was blurring together as the sheer magnitude of what he was doing finally dawned on him.

_I could be changing everything._

Katsuki shook his head, trying to bat away the panic that was threatening to overflow him.

_Too late now._

"He's got a disintegration quirk," Katsuki continued, ignoring the way his voice trembled. "Five-pointer. Developed it a bit late so I don't know if it's been recorded. All for One wants him to be his successor, he grooms him to lead the League of Villains, which is the organization he makes after he fights you."

"_Fights me?" _said All Might, almost like he couldn't help himself. There was a lot of commotion going on the other man's end, Katsuki realised, with distinct shouting and muffled voices bleeding into the call.

He wondered if All Might was tracking the call. Katsuki hadn't considered that.

"Yeah," he continued regardless. "All for One fights you in six years, I think. And injures you pretty fucking bad, you do the same too, but afterwards, you can only hold your hero form for, like, three hours."

Katsuki bit his lip. Should he mention USJ and Kamino Ward as well? But would that even happen now that he had told All Might this much? And it so far into the future at this point, as well/

"_My boy," _All Might finally said, "_I need you to stay where you are. What you know is very dangerous and we-"_

Katsuki panicked. "Wait-no. Watch out for Daruma Ujiko, he makes the Nomus. And be _careful_."

"_My boy-"_

Katsuki ended the call. He stared at the phone for a couple of moments more before exploding it with his quirk, smashing it on to the ground, and stomping on it with his feet.

A few seconds of aggressive clomping later and the phone had all but turned to dust. Katsuki just stood there, panting heavily as the adrenaline from before simmered and slowly stirred into a growing panic.

_I need to get out of here._

Katsuki took one final glance at the obliterated phone before making a one-eighty and sprinting into the streets.

_It'll be worth it, _he promised himself, _a few days of trepidation for a lifetime pass of guilt. It'll be fine. It wasn't even my phone. They can't track it back to me. It's not my-_

"KATSUKI!"

He blinked. Mitsuki was standing in front of him. Her eyes were wide and her hands, trembling. Once neatly brushed hair was in a dishevelled mess, and her freshly ironed skirt was as wrinkly a bald cat.

Behind her was a police car.

Two arms scooped him up, and Katsuki found himself limp in his mother's embrace.

She ran a hand over his back soothingly, whispering hushed comforts into his ear as she marched towards the police car.

"Let's go home, Katsuki."

He could only nod.

* * *

_Toshinori ducked, barely missing the glass that shattered above his head. Gaze twisting forward, he saw Bakugou staring at him, one hand outstretched in a throwing motion._

"_Oh," the hero muttered, snatching back his hand. "Never mind, I thought you were Deku."_

_Toshinori did his best to smile as he slowly ambled towards the man. "I don't think that's a polite reaction, regardless." _

_Bakugou was strewn across the couch, a bottle hugged to his chest and faint traces of tears spotting his cheeks. _

_He looked tired._

_Bakugou scowled, turning away as Toshinori gingerly took a seat next to him. _

"_What do you want?" he gruffed._

_Toshinori shrugged. He trailed gaze around the apartment. Most devices with Wi-Fi connection had been brutally torn apart, presumably in fits of rage._

"_I wanted to see how you were." _

_Bakugou scoffed. "Aren't you mad? It was your protege that I told to off himself."_

_Toshinori's smile dimmed._

_Ah, yes. Well," he sighed, "Young Midoriya talked to me about it, and I've come to the conclusion that you're being reprimanded enough for your actions."_

_Bakugou snorted and took a swig from the bottle in his hand before shuddering. _

"_Yeah? Well, tell him to fuck off and stop making a fuss. It's getting fucking annoying."_

_Toshinori hesitated, before reaching out to pat Bakugou's head._

_The hero didn't knock him away._

"_It'll be okay," Toshinori whispered as Bakugou gradually leaned onto his boney form. "You'll get through this. It's going to be fine."_

_The hero only trembled, and Toshinori could feel something wet dribble onto his chest._

'_Oh, Bakugou.'_

* * *

"I don't understand, everything _seems_ to be normal, but…" Dr Tsubasa trailed off. The man stared at Katsuki with a critical eye as he slumped petulantly on his seat.

"Well, something _is _wrong," Mitsuki hissed, glaring at the doctor vehemently. "My kid's been acting fucking weird ever since he fainted and I have no idea _why!"_

Dr Tsubasa only shrugged. He was an old, grandfatherly looking man, with his only notable feature being the bulging, circular glasses that covered a third of his face.

He looked vaguely familiar, whether that was because of his relation to Ken or something else, Katsuki wasn't sure.

"Perhaps he's gone through some sort of mental distress lately?" The doctor turned his gaze back to Katsuki and raised an unseen eyebrow expectantly. "Has anything significant happened in the last couple of days?"

Katsuki scowled, slouching further in his seat.

"No," he grumbled.

Masaru frowned and nudged him lightly.

"Katsuki," he said gently, "I need you to be perfectly honest. Has something been bothering you lately?"

Oh yeah. He just got tossed back in time from his fuck-up of a future, the one where you were all absolute dicks. No big deal.

Katsuki tsked in response and turned away sharply. "No, you shitty old man."

He should have expected the arm that cuffed him on the head. He should have, but he didn't. Instead, he snagged the arm on instinct and exploded it in his palms.

Seconds passed before he realised everyone was staring at him. Katsuki snatched his hand back immediately and cradled it to his chest. He eyed the light burns on Mitsuki's arm guiltily.

"Sorry," he mumbled, fixing his gaze on the floor.

Dr Tsubasa hummed and tore off a piece of paper. He handed it to Mitsuki.

"Perhaps you should take your son to see a counsellor?"

She took it with a grimace, eyeing the red marks that were now swelling around her wrist.

"Maybe."

* * *

"_Oi, Deku."_

_Izuku glanced up. Kacchan was staring at the ocean with a lost expression on his face. Izuku couldn't blame him; Dagobah Beach had a beautiful view of the sea, _

"_Yeah, Kacchan?"_

_The hero sighed, slumping back onto the gritty, golden sand. "Do you really forgive me?" he said. "For all those years? I was such a fucking asshole."_

_Izuku laughed, bright and clear, like the answer was obvious. _

"_Of course I do, Kacchan."_

* * *

"_KACCHAN!" _Izuku flung himself onto Katsuki. He grasped onto the corners of his shirt with sweaty hands and sobbed into his shoulder.

"_K-Kacchan,"_ he blubbered, "_I was scared when you disappeared. All these police people came to school and were all talking about how they couldn't find you and it was really really scary!"_

If it wasn't for his mother glaring daggers at him, Katsuki would have shoved the boy off him two seconds into his little spiel. Gently, of course, he had no interest in permanently damaging a four-year-old.

Under Mitsuki's scrutinising gaze, Katsuki merely tugged himself from Izuku's grasp.

"I'm fine," he bit out, and at his mother prompting stare, he added, "Sorry for making you worry."

He scowled at Mitsuki's approving nod.

Izuku blinked at him dazedly for a few seconds before flushing bright red and nodding frantically.

"N-No, I'm fine!"

Katsuki _stared. _Izuku was floundering with his hands, dragging a shoe nervously across the floor as he gazed at Katsuki with those huge, doe eyes.

_Does Izuku… look up to me?_

Izuku flushed harder under Katsuki's heavy gaze.

He blanched. _Oh. Fuck. I need to end this real quick._

A hand clapped his shoulder before his thoughts could spiral any further.

"Well then," Mitsuki grinned viciously, turning to the woman in front of them. "I assume my spawn won't be running off anywhere under your careful supervision, Hasumi_-san_?"

She nodded frantically and pulled Izuku into the classroom as she blabbered, "Oh yes, of course, Bakugou-san. It won't happen again. The gate has been locked tight today. Katsuki-kun will be safe and sound here."

Mitsuki clicked her tongue, tugging her gaze towards the green-haired boy who tittered nervously next to the woman.

"Izuku-kun," she said sweetly, "can you tell me how Katsuki left preschool again?"

The boy's eyes lit up, shining with admiration as he exclaimed, "Oh yeah! Kacchan was so cool! He climbed over the gate with his hands and feet!"

Katsuki looked pointedly away from his mother. Had he climbed his way over the gate? He honestly couldn't remember,

"As you can see," Mitsuki clapped his shoulder again. "My brat has found some... impractical ways of escaping." She narrowed her eyes at the woman. "But, of course, either way, I will come back this afternoon to him intact, right?"

Fake-Face gave his mother a determined nod.

"Certainly. Katsuki-kun will be safe, I promise."

"Good." Mitsuki pushed him towards Izuku. "Have fun, brat. Be here when I get back." And with those parting words, she left the classroom with a flourish, leaving Katsuki victim to Izuku's petulant gaze.

"Kacchan, Kacchan," he whined as he pulled at his shirt. "Come _on,_ let's _play_."

Katsuki only humphed, crossing his arms over his chest as he stood there defiantly. "No."

"_Why?"_

"Because I don't fucking want to."

"_But why?"_

Katsuki tsked. Had Deku been such a brat when they were kids? He definitely didn't remember him being one.

...then again, Katsuki probably hadn't let him.

"_Kaaaachan!"_

Katsuki scowled, dumping himself firmly on the floor and turning away from Izuku's disheartened look.

"Go away, Izuku. Annoy someone else."

"Kac-"

"No."

"Pleeease!"

"No."

"It'll be fun-"

"_Izuku."_

Izuku flinched and stumbled away from Katsuki.

"S-Sorry," he stammered, "I'll go." Izuku practically scampered away from him.

Guilt tugged at his heart as he watched Izuku's near-trembling back, weighing it down like an anchor at sea.

_Fuck._ Katsuki clenched his teeth and drilled his gaze angrily into the floor. He hadn't meant to scare Izuku, he just wanted the nerd to leave.

Katsuki sighed, slumping forward. He'd forgotten how fragile kids were.

"Ah. Katsuki-kun?'

He glanced up, grimacing as he met the concerned eyes of his _teacher._

"Are you alright?" she asked, crouching down beside him. "Why aren't you playing with your friends? Izuku-kun looked very sad when he left, and Ken-kun was asking me where you were."

Katsuki scowled, fixing his gaze away from her.

"I don't want to be around some stupid extras right now," he grumbled.

"Ah. Ok," she said, slowing standing up. "You can talk to me if you need anything, Katsuki-kun."

He wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, whatever."

Fake Face smiled and - after making sure the door behind him was firmly locked - made her way to a kid a couple of feet away from him - who had gotten chalk all over his uniform.

"Yamoto-kun," she scolded, only for the kid to shrug.

"I didn't mean to."

Katsuki rolled his eyes at the interaction, turning his gaze back to the patch of wooden floor he had based himself.

Kouki Yamoto, minor electrification quirk. He'd taken over his mother's phone repair shop in the future.

The man had spat on him once when he'd been passing through town.

Katsuki sighed.

Was _this _his fucking life for the next fourteen years? Growing up again with the people who'd despised him. Because that was what he'd have to put up with until he hit eighteen.

Unless, of course, he ran away. But even Katsuki wasn't confident in his ability to survive by himself as a four-year-old.

No. He'd have to train, even if he didn't want to be a hero. Not just in case he needed to run away, but also because of the stunt he pulled with All Might. Even with the slim chance of his identity being leaked, Katsuki still had to be prepared.

Besides. Training was kind of therapeutic.

"_NO! GIVE THAT BACK! IT'S MINE!"_

Katsuki glanced up and his eyes narrowed. Izuku and two other kids were arguing at least fifty feet away from him. The pair were dangling what looked like an All Might figurine in front of Izuku, who was scrambling madly for it with tears in his eyes.

"_Give it back!"_ he cried.

Katsuki inwardly groaned.

_Fuck this shit,_ he thought, clambering to his feet and dragging himself towards the commotion.

"What's goin' on?" he gruffed, as Izuku turned to him.

"K-Kacchan," the boy stammered, looking pathetically relieved. "They took my toy."

Katsuki scowled, turning to the pair. Both looked sufficiently intimidated by his presence, but not enough to drop the toy.

"Bakugou," one of them said, twirling the figurine in his hand. "We were just having some fun. It's no big deal."

"Yeah," the other one crooned, glancing at Izuku gleefully. "No big deal."

Izuku whimpered.

Katsuki hummed, his gaze darting between Izuku and the pair before clapping his hands together.

"All right," he announced, "I've decided."

Izuku blinked. "D-Decided what?"

Katsuki grinned and turned to the pair. He detonated explosions in his palm.

"How hard I'm gonna punch these fuckers."

Both of them screamed.

* * *

"When I said 'be here when I get back', I didn't mean it as a green light to beat people up." Mitsuki glanced at him through the rearview mirror. "They didn't get you, though, did they?"

Katsuki huffed and glanced away from his mother's heavy stare. "No."

She hummed before turning her gaze back to the road ahead. "Good."

Katsuki scoffed. He hadn't even hit those bastards that hard, just whacked them hard enough for it to sting for a couple of minutes; he wasn't _actually_ going to beat up toddlers.

"Katsuki, do you want to see a counsellor?"

He froze. "What?"

His mother shrugged behind the wheel. "You've been acting weird lately, so Masaru and I were thinking, maybe you'd like to talk about it to someone else?"

_Going to see a stranger for problems I can't tell them, _Katsuki almost laughed, _as if_.

"No," he said simply before twisting his head towards the car window. He'd always liked sunny days, there was plenty of sweat to explode when they happened.

Mitsuki sighed, shaking her head exasperatedly. "Katsuki, it's a good way to-"

"I don't want to."

"Katsuki-"

"I said _no_."

"Just give it a-"

"_No."_

Mitsuki's face was pinched as she pulled into the driveway.

* * *

"_Oh, Katsuki," Inko pulled him into a hug. "You poor dear. I hope Mitsuki's okay."_

_Katsuki blinked at her, confused. "Why? What happened?"_

_Inko stared at him in shock, tugging her hands away from him to hide a gasp instead. _

"_You mean you haven't heard? Your grandfather passed away a couple of weeks ago. Mitsuki was so distraught."_

"_Oh," was all Katsuki said, body going slack. "She never told me."_

_Inko rubbed his back comfortingly. "I'm sure it just slipped her mind. She's been out of it all month."_

_All Katsuki could do was shake his head. He'd never fully realised, back when Mitsuki cut ties with him, how much she meant it._

_It hurt._

* * *

Katsuki skipped school the next day.

It was laughably easy, even with all the extra precautions in place. All he had to do was rid himself of Fake Face's attention, sneak past the newly hired guard, and climb over the gate.

A simple task for someone like him.

Katsuki's first order of business was training. He would much rather spend his day sweating it out in an empty clearing than sit in a room full of crying toddlers.

Of course, training, when one was in four-years-old, came with many obstacles, so he decided to start off simple. Running.

In the late hours of the morning, Katsuki found himself jogging along Dagobah Beach. It was exhilarating, to finally do something so _normal_. To feel the familiar sensation of sweat dripping down his spine, to have his muscles stretch and tighten in a good-natured ache. He could almost forget about this new life he was in, the unknown obstacles he'd have to face, he could almost forget and relax like he'd always wanted to the moment he got here.

Until, of course, his very peaceful training was interrupted by the distinct sound of a baby crying.

Out of habit, Katsuki followed the noise, trudging away from his rubbish dump haven to a worn-down park nearby.

A young, blonde-haired woman was fussing over a baby in a stroller. The lady looked a bit like a princess, with long, luscious hair and a dainty, aristocratic face that could be mistaken for any fairytale damsel. She was hunched over a baby, almost one-year-old, he guessed, who wore bright, blue hair like a wig around a round, puffy face. The baby had scrunched up their face though, making grabbing motions at a tree not far from where Katsuki was. He followed its chubby finger to a dark blue balloon stuck firmly high in its branches.

"_Shhh,_ i-it's ok-kay, Kaoru-kun," the woman soothed stutteringly, picking the baby up and cradling them in her arms. "We'll g-get you a n-new ballon, p-promise."

The baby only cried harder.

Before he knew it, Katsuki was scaling the tree, pudgy fingers grappling onto branch after branch before he finally reached the upper level of the tree. Carefully, he made one hand let go, the other firmly clenching the thicker end of a branch while this one simply stretched. With surprising ease, he snagged the balloon from the tree's grasp and quickly scaled back down the tree.

Stutter Lady was still comforting the baby.

"_Shhh, _K-Kaoru-kun, you'll get a new balloon s-soon."

Katsuki marched towards the pair. "Here," he said, once the woman finally looked up.

"What is it, d-dear- oh."

He pushed the balloon into the baby's flimsy grasp, who began to giggle, wrestling with the blue object now in its reach.

Katsuki shrugged when the woman looked at him curiously. "I found it," was all he said.

She smiled, patting him on the head gently. "T-Thank you. What's your n-name?"

"Katsuki," he said, before sliding his gaze back towards the baby. "What's its name?"

Stutter Lady beamed, holding the baby out to him. "His n-name is K-Kiyoshi Kaoru, w-would you like to hold him?"

Katsuki huffed, shoving his hands forward. "I guess," he gruffed.

She placed him gently into his hands, only letting go when she was sure Katsuki could handle the weight.

He stared at the tiny creature, who was squirming and gurgling in his grasp. It had been a while since Katsuki had held something so fragile.

Stutter Lady smiled as the baby latched onto a tuft of his hair. "H-He likes you."

Katsuki allowed himself a small smile, carefully passing the child back to the woman. "You got a cute kid, lady."

She flushed, stumbling slightly as she placed the baby back into the stroller. "A-Ah," she stammered. "He's, w-well. He's n-not really mine."

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, and Stutter Lady held up a small business card. '_Kiyoshi Foster Centre' _it read.

_Oh,_ he thought, staring back at the lady. She rubbed her head sheepishly.

"I'm t-the new h-head c-caregiver there, t-though I'm s-still in training." she explained. "I was t-told to take K-Kaoru-kun for a stroll." She sighed, slumping slightly as she tied the blue balloon to the pram. "The o-old h-head caregiver will be leaving next week. I'll h-have to r-run everything m-myself t-then."

"You'll be fine, lady. Don't stress a shit ton about it."

The woman blinked in surprise, turning a mildly scandalised gaze towards him. "W-What- And _l-language!"_

Katsuki smirked, shrugging slightly. "See? As long as you give a crap about those brats, they'll be fine."

Stutter Lady let a small smile creep up her face. "I-I guess," she stammered, before frowning. "How o-old are you, K-Katsuki-kun?"

He tensed, slowly backing away from the woman. "Four."

She frowned harder. "I've been c-complaining to a four-year-old?" Her eyes widened. "And s-shouldn't you be at preschool-"

Katsuki was already running before she could finish that sentence.

* * *

He arrived home around the same time Mitsuki did. She hadn't known about his disappearance until an hour prior. Apparently, the preschool had attempted to find him first before telling her.

His mother smacked him on the head

Katsuki still ran the next day.

The training was worth the earful, he decided, detonating explosions as he smashed a palm onto a pile of junk.

* * *

"_Again!"_ A hand swatted the back of his neck. Katsuki only tensed, staring Mitsuki directly in the eye as she glared at him.

"Yeah," he said, shrugging. "I wanted to go for a run."

"_Then run __**in **__preschool, you brat, not out of it!"_

Katsuki wrinkled his nose. "It's not the same."

"_You-" _Mitsuki was seething, unsurprisingly. It was only when Masaru clapped her shoulder that she showed any inkling of calming down.

"Let's have this conversation in the living room rather than the corridor," he said gently, and Mitsuki huffed, snatching up Katsuki's hand and dragging him towards the lounge.

"_Stop pulling so hard, shitty hag!"_

"_Well, you deserve it, you ungrateful brat!" _A resounding _smack_ sound. "_And don't call me a hag!"_

"_Then stop hitting me!"_

Katsuki was shoved, surprisingly lightly, onto a couch by Mitsuki, who then stood intimidatingly in front of him. Masaru slunk his way next to her, and they both stared at Katsuki with fierce intensity.

"Right," Mitsuki announced, clapping her hands together. "It's time we finally talk."

Masaru nodded solemnly, crouching down on the floor and staring Katsuki directly in the eye. "Katsuki," he began gently, "why have you been leaving preschool? You've run away three times now, is there a reason?"

Katsuki scowled and shook his head, slumping further on the couch as he bit out a, "no."

Mitsuki frowned and arched an eyebrow. "Are you getting bullied?"

"No."

"Are the teachers being mean?"

"No."

"Are you being harmed, treated badly, or getting hurt in _any way_?"

"_No."_

Mitsuki threw her hands into the air. "Then _why!"_

He shrugged, and a hand slammed the cushion next to him.

"Mitsuki_,_" his father said warningly, but Mitsuki ignored him, narrowing her gaze.

"This isn't a game, brat," she hissed, leaning closer. "You're four-years-old. What's going on?"

Katsuki tsked and looked away, slumping further in his seat. "It's not that big of a deal, woman, just let it be. I can take care of myself."

Mitsuki scowled. "You're _four_, Katsuki. Four," she crossed her hands over her chest. "I don't care how mature your friends and teachers think you are, you're still a child."

Katsuki glowered.

Masaru gently placed a hand on Katsuki's face, lightly tugging towards him.

"Katsuki," he said soothingly. "Your mother and I are worried. Running away from preschool is no small thing and you've done it three times. If there's a reason you have to tell us."

Katsuki jerked away from his father's grasp, staring at the man petulantly as he said. "I just want some time alone, old man. No big deal. I'm not going to get fucking kidnapped or something."

"Katsuki," his mother said, surprisingly softly, "you used to chatter days on end about your friends, about Izuku, about All Might, and about heroes. But now you've stopped. Now you spend most of your time sulking, you avoid us unless we force you not to, and you never talk about your friends or heroes. You've even stopped going on about your quirk." She sighed, finally crouching down as well. "Something happened to you, Katsuki, and we just want to help."

"She's right," Masaru added, gazing gently at him. "We care about you, Katsuki, no matter what's going on, we want to help."

_No, you don't,_ Katsuki thought bitterly, unable to help himself.

"Tell us, Katsuki," Mitsuki pressed. "Tell us what's wrong."

Katsuki stared hard at the ground, trying valiantly to ignore the way his hands trembled.

_[He's not my son]_

"We just want to help."

His breathing was shaky and uneven. Short and stifling. Resentment seemed to rush through him in droves.

_[What he did was unforgivable]_

"We care about you."

The world around was hazy and unsteady. It trembled like a poorly stacked tower of cards, threatening to collapse at any minute.

_[He's a disgrace]_

"No matter what, we'll always support you."

"No," he rasped, hugging his legs towards his chest and training his eyes on the ground. "No, you won't."

_[Terrible, neglectful, callous, heartless]_

A hand gently shook his shoulder. "What are you talking about, Katsuki," he heard his father say. "Of course we will. We're your parents."

"No," he shook his head, almost fervently. "No, you won't. Not when it counts."

_[I don't want to see you again. Ever]_

"_What?"_ Mitsuki yelled. "Who's telling you we won't? Don't be ungrateful, brat, we care a hell about you, that's why we're having this conversation!"

_[Sometimes, I wonder if you even care.]_

"No, no, no, no," he mumbled, burying his head into his knees.

_[You wouldn't have done anything]_

Katsuki gasped and stumbled to his feet.

"...Katsuki?" Masaru said hesitantly.

He ran past them, sprinting through the hallways and shutting himself in the bathroom. He locked the door with a firm _click_ before slumping against it and sliding towards the floor.

_[He's not my son]_

Tears crowded around his eyes against his will, trickling down his face as he heaved in mouthfuls of air.

"_Katsuki!"_ Someone rapped against the door. "_Katsuki, let us in!"_

Katsuki only rubbed his eyes with a trembling arm, trying to rid himself of tears as he yelled.

"_Fuck off!"_

"_Brat-" _A sharp _smack _sound reverberated through the door before hushed mutters replaced it instead.

He caught the words '_panic attack'_ floating among them.

Katsuki scowled, slumping further against the door. He couldn't explain the tangle of emotions that were trying to possess him. Anger gushed through his words while fear incited tremours in his hands. Resentment laced every thought yet guilt hung his heart heavy. It was too much, too different, for him to cope with.

He sighed and propped his head against the door.

_I need to get out of here._

It didn't matter, Katsuki supposed, that his parents had done no wrong in this timeline. That fact that they could, would never let go of him.

The seed of doubt had already sprouted; there was no getting rid of it now.

* * *

_Katsuki scowled as he patrolled the streets, shrugging away pointed glares and returning the occasional boo with a sneer of his own._

_It didn't matter what these extras thought__, he reasoned, __as long as they sat tight and let him rescue them when he had to. Katsuki was still a fucking hero even if the approval ratings insisted he shouldn't be._

_Then he caught a mop of blonde hair striding right past him. Katsuki froze, tensing slightly before turning around._

_Sure enough, it was Bakugou Mitsuki who had walked straight through him, almost as if she didn't know him. _

_Almost as if she didn't care._

"_Hey," a random stranger hissed at her, "isn't he your son?"_

_Katsuki heard her snort. "He's not my son. What he did was unforgivable. He's a disgrace."_

_For a moment, Katsuki felt something inside him break even further._


	4. bonds are made

"_-a missing boy named Shimura Tenko. Any sightings of a child by this description are to be reported to the police, as well as any other relevant information. This is a nation-wide search, heroes and police have good reason to suspect that this child is in immediate danger-"_

Mitsuki turned off the T.V, sighing as she slumped back onto their sandy, leather couch. "Poor kid," she muttered, a somber look gripping her face, "hope they find him."

Katsuki only stared intently at the black screen. He shifted his back away from the plush cushion behind it and sprawled his legs across the thick, fluffy carpet. It had been a week since he'd spoken to All Might, and they still hadn't found him. Did it take that long to find a boy on the streets?

_Or maybe All for One already had him, _a traitorous part of his mind whispered. _Maybe you were too late._

"Brat," Mitsuki called out, snapping him from his thoughts. "What do you want for dinner?"

He flicked his gaze towards her. Mitsuki looked aloof at best, the brief emotion that had seized her before was long gone and only an inquiringly arched brow was left.

_That's right, _he thought bitterly. _I'm probably one of the few who have any sort of attachment to this._

He dug his fingers into the tresses of nylon underneath them and pulled his thighs towards his chest.

"Brat?"

His head jerked up, Mitsuki was still staring at him, chin tilted to the side.

He buried half of his face into his knees and shrugged. "Don't care."

Mitsuki rolled her eyes, sighing fondly.

"Soba it is then," she said, before glancing over her shoulder. "_Masaru!"_

"_I heard!"_ his father called back from the kitchen, only a door away. "_Already on it!"_

Mitsuki beamed as she turned to Katsuki, who was still curled into a ball on the floor. She slid down from the couch and shuffled her way next to him, crossing her legs together and propping her chin on the palm of her hand.

"So," she said conversationally, "are you going to leave preschool again tomorrow?"

Katsuki stiffened. It was the first time his parents had brought it up today after their... 'talk'. He pressed his nose against the fringes of his knees.

"Yeah," he said slowly, voice slightly muffled, "probably."

"And where will you be going?" Mitsuki asked, inclining her head towards him. Her eyes were narrowed, and her face, blank. She seemed to be studying him as well as his response, gaze following every shift and shuffle he made.

Katsuki pursed his lips together, eyes narrowed as he gave a slight shrug. "Dagobah Beach, probably."

Mitsuki hummed. "What will you do there?"

"...run. Explode things. Stuff."

"And when will you come home?"

"...four o'clock? Maybe five."

Mitsuki studied him for a couple more seconds. Her expression was still set in a firm poker face but her eyes continued to dart back and forth, from his hunched form and tense limbs, she seemed to take in it all.

Finally, she let out a sigh, gracing him with a reluctant nod.

"Okay."

Katsuki blinked. "Okay?"

Mitsuki wasn't even looking at him anymore, staring at her feet instead as she stretched them across the floor.

No parent would want their four-year-old wandering the streets with no supervision, not even Mitsuki. Or at least, that was what he'd thought. This was, he supposed, her concession from their confrontation before. Katsuki had changed, whether she liked it or not, and this was her way of showing that she realised that.

"_Dinner's ready!"_

Mitsuki jumped to her feet, grabbing Katsuki by the elbow and heaving him upwards as she dragged him towards the dining room.

"Ah," she said, a grin prominent on her face. "I love it when your father cooks."

Katsuki allowed himself to smirk softly. "That's because you're absolute shit at it."

A hand smacked his head. "Be quiet, brat," she huffed good-naturedly.

Masaru grinned as they stepped inside, revealing the soba with a flourish.

"_Ta-da," _he sang, placing it on the table. "I spent a good fifteen minutes making that."

Mitsuki snorted, taking a seat. "And what hard labour that must have been."

"Fifteen minutes you spent watching T.V.," Masaru ribbed back, and they both laughed.

Katsuki could only stare at the scene dazedly. It was sickeningly sappy, to the point he was half-convinced they were doing it to cheer him up.

He sighed as he tentatively took a seat as well.

_I suppose it doesn't really matter._

"So, Katsuki," his mother began, chopsticks sifting through the noodles in her bowl. "I heard that All Might is stopping by Musutafu. Apparently, he's doing a Meet and Greet at the city centre. You wanna go see it?"

Katsuki picked at his soba. He knew that he was supposed to say yes. His mother never offered these sorts of things, and four-year-old Katsuki would have jumped for joy.

But he knew the _real_ reason All Might was coming. The hero must have tracked the call to Musutafu and want to come here to investigate. Probably in some misplaced hope for more leads, considering how poorly the search for Tomura was going.

So no, he had no intention of going. Katsuki had absolutely no reason to see his dead teacher again.

"No," Katsuki said, twirling a strand of soba with his chopsticks. "I'm fine."

Masaru looked like he was doing a spit-take. "_What," _he said, eyes wide and disbelieving. "You _don't _want to see All Might?"

Katsuki scowled. "Yeah, I don't." His grip on the chopsticks tightened. "You deaf, old man?"

"B-But," Masaru sputtered, "you _love _All Might."

He shrugged, slurping a mouthful of soba. "Shtil on't wannga gou."

His father kept gaping, while Mitsuki only glanced at him thoughtfully.

"Huh," she said, giving him one more once-over before turning to his father. "Eat, Masaru, it'll go cold."

"Huh? Er, right."

No one talked about heroes for the rest of dinner.

* * *

"_You could always become an Underground Hero," Aizawa offered, sliding a glass towards him. "No one cares about approval ratings there."_

_Katsuki took the drink with a bitter laugh. "At least fifteen people have thrown shit at me during patrol today, I'm too fucking infamous to go underground." He sighed, swirling the glass absentmindedly in his hands. "Sensei, do you think I should quit?"_

"_And do what, Bakugou?" Aizawa exhaled, slumping back onto his chair. "Go back to school? Find some minimum-wage job?"_

"_It'll probably make more shit that I make now," Katsuki scoffed cynically, gesturing to the ratty apartment they were in. "The Hero Association's barely giving me anything now." _

_Aizawa raked a hand down his face. "I don't know, Bakugou, I really don't know."_

* * *

Katsuki couldn't sleep. There was too much to think about, too much to ponder, he couldn't get his mind up to shut up for the life of him.

Katsuki groaned, finally throwing off his covers and fumbling to his feet. _Normally,_ when this happened, he could just go outside and train. Now, he obviously couldn't.

He threw a glance at his window. It was big in all dimensions, not too far from the ground, and cracked slightly open.

_Or could I…?_

A quick peek outside his door revealed the sound of two soundly asleep parents, so Katsuki shuffled towards his closet, slid on an old pair of pants and an All Might jacket, stuffed his covers with pillows, and clambered onto the window sill.

He hesitated only briefly before jumping.

Chilled air greeted him before impact, lightly grazing the skin on his face as his feet made their way to solid ground.

Katsuki grinned, gulping down the fresh air before beginning his amble away from the house.

He honestly had no idea where to go. Wandering around in the night was dangerous for a four-year-old, so he'd probably be better off hovering close to him. There was a park nearby, maybe he could go there? Or that field by his old middle school? But that was kind of far away, so maybe-

A soft clap of footsteps caught his attention, and Katsuki whipped around, running a scanning gaze over his surroundings. He was in the middle of a street, no cars or people were passing by and the houses by his side were practically empty. But, he thought, running a gaze over the plethora of buildings to hide behind, that didn't really mean anything. He slowly turned around and took a few steps forward.

The rattle of footsteps continued.

_Okay, right, I can deal with whatever the fuck this is. _Katsuki thought steadily, keeping up a quick pace as he sped through the street. The clatter of footsteps grew more hurried, struggling, almost, to keep up with him. _Good, _he thought, _maybe I can lose them with any confrontation._

Katsuki wasn't entirely confident in his ability to take out any villain. If he took them by surprise he could probably secure a quick escape, but that was it.

He swerved onto another street, his steady pace shifted into a full out sprint. As he hoped, the clamour of footsteps turned messy and unsteady, he could hear them panting now, and their footsteps, slowing.

Katsuki grinned triumphantly, hastening his pace as he sped further down the street. He'd ended up a hell of a lot farther from his house than he'd initially planned, probably to the point he'd have to be quite careful walking back. But he supposed that was fine, as long as he could lose whoever was tailing him-

"K-KACCHAN! W-WAIT!"

Katsuki felt something in his stomach drop as he twisted around.

Sure enough, Izuku was standing there, dressed in an All Might nightie, huffing and puffing as he stumbled towards him.

Katsuki scowled, storming towards Izuku and grabbing his shoulders.

"_What the hell do you think you're doing?" _he hissed. "_Why the hell are you prancing around the street at midnight? You could get fucking kidnapped, idiot!"_

"B-But," Izuku stammered, "_you're _here Kacchan."

Katsuki glowered at the boy. "I'm different, okay? I can take care of myself, you can't." He sighed, letting go of Izuku's shoulders and snatching his wrist as he slowly began to drag Izuku through the street. "Why the fuck are you out here, anyway?"

Izuku _beamed_. "Because I saw you walking outside through the window! Mom left the door unlocked so I thought I could sneak outside and surprise you!"

Katsuki rolled his eyes.

"Of course _you _thought that," he muttered, darting his gaze around them. It was already unsafe with just Katsuki, given how far away they were. Now that Izuku was here, that risk had just skyrocketed. At least with just himself, if anything went wrong, he could always run, with Izuku, there was no way the other boy could keep up.

Katsuki kept himself rigid and alert, making sure that Izuku walked close behind while he scanned their surroundings.

A soft murmur of sounds drifting towards them from above made Katsuki tense. He shoved himself in front of Izuku and held out an explosion-spitting hand threateningly.

Izuku startled. "Kac-"

A figure cloaked in black leapt in front of them. Izuku yelped.

As the scrappy figure shifted towards them, Katsuki let himself relax slightly, blazing red eyes met his own and the explosions spitting from his palms were paused.

"Oi," a deep voice gruffed, white tape stretching around the scruffy-looking man defensively. "What are kids like you doing wandering the streets at night?"

Katsuki didn't know whether to grin or groan. On one hand, having a hero around made their situation a hell of a lot safer. On the other, he'd made a promise to himself to stay away from people related to UA, and this guy was the worst one to meet.

"You gonna answer me, kid?" Eraserhead asked, hair collapsing to his shoulders as he arched an eyebrow. "Or do I have to guess?"

Izuku trembled behind him, clutching Katsuki's hands almost painfully as he stuttered out a fearful. "K-Kacchan?"

Katsuki tsked and glanced away from the man, valiantly trying to ignore his curious gaze.

"Stop clawing my wrists, Izuku," he hissed, "I know he looks homeless but he's a hero."

Izuku practically jumped off him in excitement, and Katsuki tried not to flinch as the gaze directed at him grew heavier.

_Fuck._

* * *

Shouta was tired. Well, he was always tired, so that was kind of a moot point, but today he was even _more _tired and he really, really, really didn't want to be patrolling.

But he was a goddamn hero. So he had to be. Fuck you, life too.

Shouta sighed, walking steadily across the rooftop he had unfortunately found himself on. He had to be vigilant, sadly. The night crime rates were unusually high in the Shizuoka Prefecture.

As he prepared to leap from the building, two mops of green and white caught his eye. Frowning, because _surely those weren't preschoolers _and _oh crap they were_, he jumped towards them.

He landed on the ground with the soft thud, eyes blazing red as he stared the two kids down.

Curiously enough, the had blonde-haired one tensed before his appearance, promptly shoving the other kid behind him protectively

_Interesting, _he thought, taking note of the small explosions spitting from the boy's palm before snuffing them out with his quirk.

"Oi," Shouta gruffed, his white tape stretching around him. "What are kids like you doing wandering the streets at night?"

He kind of expected the blonde kid to attack at this point. The brat had a vicious scowl marring his face and a battle-ready posture to boot. Shouta probably looked incredibly suspicious; he was an underground hero, after allew civilians would know who he was.

Once again, the kid defied his expectations once again by _relaxing_. He made no move to reignite his explosions and his demeanour shifted from apprehensive to one of meer discomfort.

"You gonna answer me, kid?" Shouta asked, hair collapsing to his shoulders as he arched an eyebrow. "Or do I have to guess?"

"K-Kacchan?" the green-haired boy nervously stuttered, casting a fearful glance at him before gazing back at 'Kacchan'.

The blonde tsked and glanced away from Shouta, shifting uncomfortably under his curious gaze.

"Stop clawing my wrists, Izuku," the kid hissed, "I know he looks homeless but he's a hero."

Shouta arched his eyebrow even further. _That_ was interesting. So the kid did know who he was.

'Izuku' seemed all but thrilled at the blonde's admission, practically bouncing away from the boy's protective grasp and towards Shouta.

"You're a hero, mister? That's so _cool_." The kid beamed at him, quite adorably, Shouta supposed, with his chubby, freckled face and oversized All Might nightie. "What's your name? What's your quirk? I haven't seen you before, are you a new hero? Did you just make your debut? When was it? How long have you been a-"

"Kid," Shouta interrupted, "one at a time." He slumped further and retracted his capture tape. "My name is Eraserhead and I'm an underground hero." He sighed as his gaze drifted between the blond and green-haired kids. "What are you and your friend's names?"

The kid grinned, "I'm Midoyriya Izuku," he pointed a finger at himself, "and that's Bakugou Katsuki," he jabbed a finger at the blonde, who tsked. "We're both four!"

"Shut up, Izuku," Bakugou gruffed, not even looking at Shouta as he strode forward. "We've been out here too long, it's a miracle we haven't been fucking kidnapped." He reluctantly glared Shouta in the eye. "Walk us home."

"_Kacchan_," Midoriya protested. "You can't just _demand _that."

Bakugou scoffed and snatched the boy's wrist, striding ahead.

"No hero worth their salt would leave two fucking four-year-old to walk back home at midnight."

Shouta almost smirked. _Brat's got guts, _he mused, shuffling along with them. "Kid's right," he said languidly, glancing at the blonde who was still refusing to look at him. "But that doesn't mean you should be wandering around during the night. Why are you two here, anyway?"

As expected, the green one replied first. "I saw Kacchan through the window," he chirped, practically skipping along beside them. "So I decided to sneak outside so I could surprise him!"

"That's dangerous," Shouta lectured monotonously. "You shouldn't be doing that, especially not without an adult."

"I know," the kid deflated slightly, "Kacchan already told me off."

Shouta raised an eyebrow. "And what was the other brat doing outside, huh?"

The blonde tsked and didn't dean him a response. Midoriya gave the boy a nudge and shrugged when the boy only scowled harder.

Shouta sighed and gazed ahead of them "Where do you brats live?"

Midoriya opened his mouth to reply, before abruptly freezing.

Shouta felt faint traces of panic welling through him when the kid's eyes looked suspiciously shiny.

"I-I don't k-know," he stammered, gazing around him dazedly. "I don't know where my house is, I was j-just following Kacchan. I don't k-know-now. I d-don't know. I don't know w-where any-"

Bakugou cuffed the boy lightly on the head before he could panic any further.

"Shut up, idiot," he muttered. "_I _know where your apartment is, so stop making a fucking fuss."

Midoriya sniffled and clutched Bakugou's arm tighter.

Shouta hummed thoughtfully. "And how far is it from here?"

Bakugou scowled and glanced to the side. "Not far, a couple more minutes away," he replied thinly.

He nodded and left it at that. Why Bakugou seemed so intent on avoiding him, Shouta had no clue. Perhaps the kid had something against heroes? Many people did these days, and not entirely for the wrong reasons.

But it was a sentiment few _kids _held and, judging by the All Might jacket he wore, something he doubted Bakugo shared.

"So," Shouta began as a familiar apartment building came to sight. "Do your parents know you're out here?" He arched an eyebrow at them. Midoriya's guilty flush and Bakugou's dismissive huff were answer enough.

"Ah," Middoriya said instead, jabbing a finger at the apartment complex in front of them. "Home!"

"Great," Shouta cheered dully. "Do you need me to walk you inside or something?"

"Nope!" Midoriya beamed, bounding towards the first couple steps of the building. "Me and Mom live on the _top _floor so it takes _ages_ to walk up there!"

At Shouta's unconvinced stare, Bakugou added. "There's round-the-clock security."

He sighed, giving the green-haired boy a ginger pat on the head. "Stay safe, kid. Don't do this again."

Midoriya grinned and gave Shouta a big, cheery wave. "Bye Mister Eraserhead! Thanks for walking me home!"

He allowed a small smile to curl onto his face and granted a grudging wave back. "Yeah, yeah, kid. Just be careful next time."

Midoriya smiled, all but radiating sunshine and rainbows as he bounced up the rest of the stairs.

Shouta sighed and turned to the prickly blonde that was left - who was already making his way through the street.

"Oi, kid," he called out, pacing up to catch up with him. "Weren't you the one who wanted me to walk you home?"

The blonde scoffed, stuffing his hands into his pockets as stalked ahead. "I needed you to walk Izuku home. I can take care of myself damn fine."

Shouta raised an eyebrow. "You're _four."_

Bakugou shrugged. "And if some fucker tries to kidnap me or shit I'll blow their faces off and get the fuck out of there."

Shouta couldn't help the small rumbling chuckle that escaped him.

"Confident brat, aren't you?"

Bakugou scowled, vehemently kicking a pebble in his path as he stormed ahead. Shouta sighed and wordlessly shuffled faster.

They continued the rest of their journey in relative silence, and Shouta couldn't help but ponder the kid's oddities.

He was clearly intelligent. The way he talked, as dirty it might be, spoke of remarkable comprehension and self-awareness for a preschooler. Not to mention the brat's demeanour. Rude and standoffish on the surface, definitely, but concern and protectiveness for Midoriya had bled through almost every sentence he uttered.

That, along with an obviously powerful quirk and a budding skill for combat, the kid might as well as be a perfect hero in the making.

Yet…

"Hey, kid," Shouta called out, as the decently-sized house they were heading for came closer. "Have you ever considered becoming a hero?"

A shoe violently slammed into the pavement

"_Fuck_ no," Bakugou seethed, stomping crudely towards the dwelling. "Keep your shitty job to _yourself!"_

_Huh, _was all Shouta thought, staring blankly at the brat as he started clawing his way up a wall, towards an ajar window.

After the kid fumbled his way inside, he twisted sharply to glare at Shouta, a vicious scowl still mangling his face as he resolutely flipped him off.

Bakugou closed the window with a slam.

_Interesting._

* * *

As he had said he would, Katsuki skipped school the next day. The preschool staff had made a valiant at stopping him, with not one, but _four_ teachers guarding the gate.

Unfortunately for them, even four teachers together wouldn't have an ounce of the stealth experience he had, so their efforts were in vain.

_Unlike _what he'd told Mitsuki, Katsuki didn't head for Dagobah Beach immediately after escaping. Instead, he took the time to wander the streets of Shizuoka; after all, it'd only been a few weeks ago when a simple walk like this would earn him no shortage of dirty looks.

So Katsuki basked in his newfound anonymity. Sure, his preschool uniform prompted a couple of double-takes, but no one actually _cared _enough to confront him about it. He had all the time in the world to simply breathe in the fresh air and let the soft hum of a waking city wash over him.

He could hear it all, the menial chatter of people as they bustled to work, the low rumble of cars as they rushed by.

It was soothing, almost, in a weird sort of way, so different from the nightmare Shizuoka twisted itself into at night.

A preschooler's nightmare, sure, but a nightmare nonetheless.

Katsuki sighed, digging his foot into the pavement as he trudged ahead.

Last night had been a mess. An utter fucking disaster.

Katsuki shoved his hands into his pockets, balling them into whit-knuckled fists.

He'd just wanted to get outside and work some shit off his chest. Then Izuku came in and put himself in danger and fuckin' Eraserhead ended up tagging along and the whole thing just went off the fucking rails.

Katsuki scowled. What the hell had made Izuku so determined to 'surprise' him, anyway? He'd barely talked to the nerd since he'd come here and he was pretty sure that his younger self had already been treating Izuku like shit at this point.

Was it his fault? Had Katsuki been doing something wrong? Because four-year-old Deku definitely wouldn't sneak out at night for him. Deku had adored Katsuki, sure, but that nerd had fucking limits, he had the fucking balls to stand up to him.

Obviously, Katsuki had done something terribly wrong and Izuku was getting screwed over because of it. There was no other reason. _He_ was the reason Izuku was out there, _he_ was the reason Izuku was in danger, _he _had screwed up and now Izuku was paying the price because he was changing _everything _and fucking it all up for the worse and-

Pain seared across his wrist, and Katsuki startled, blearily realising he was setting explosions off on his own arm.

He tore his palm off in a panicked huff, staring dazedly at the trail of red marks that were spotting his arm.

_Fuck._

He hadn't even realised.

Before he could dwell on it further though, a panicked shout caught his attention.

"_Hey, dude, be careful!"_

Katsuki glanced up. A cyclist, whose face was almost completely covered by a pair of goggles and helmet, was speeding towards a relatively calm intersection.

Calm except, Katsuki realised, for a sirens-blaring ambulance that was steadily making its way towards it.

The cyclist didn't seem to hear the warning, only pedalling faster.

Katsuki's mind moved faster than his body, he scanned his surroundings for _something, anything that would-_

His gaze landed on a pebble.

Quick as a flash, he grabbed it, running a pudgy finger over its jagged surface before tossing it at the cyclist.

Or rather, the cyclist's cycle's wheel.

As expected, the bike startled to a stop, the pebble knotting itself between the wheel's strings. The cyclist, on the other hand, was plunged forward as the bike tossed its back wheel up in surprise.

They landed on the asphalt with a painful clamour, and Katsuki could hear the beginnings of a barely muffled shout.

"_Which one of yeh brats-"_

The ambulance barreled past, barely a metre away from where the cyclist lay.

Katsuki scowled and turned away. He ignored the shocked glances pointed at him.

The cyclist plucked off their helmet with a miffed huff, revealing a balding scalp with faint traces of white scattered across it. A sharp yank tugged away their goggles, which exposed wrinkly, pale skin, a bushy, white moustache and a beard that stretched down to their collar bone.

The old man stumbled to his feet with relative ease, rolling his hips with a couple of sharp clicks before setting a scanning gaze on the crowd of bystanders. He finally narrowed his eyes at Katsuki, who tsked.

The man stared for a couple of seconds longer before bursting out into bellowing laughter.

"Guess yeh really saved me there, didn't cha, brat?" he chortled, bending over to pick up his fallen bicycle. Slowly, he dragged it over to where Katsuki was standing, leaning it on a wall nearby and snatching up the closed, red umbrella that had been tucked behind the seat.

As Baldy hobbled over to him, Katsuki stiffened, clenching his teeth hard as the man kept his gaze trained on him.

"What's yer name?" the old man gruffed, his red umbrella held out in front of him like a walking stick.

Scowling, he muttered. "Katsuki."

A thin, narrow object smacked against his shins, and Katsuki growled at the man, who clutched his umbrella smugly.

"Speak loudly, boy," Baldy scolded, shaking his head before pointing at himself. "The name's Nai, Akito Nai, an' as foolhardy an' reckless as yer actions were, it ain't right for me not to thank yeh for 'em." The old man frowned and squinted at him. "How old are yeh, brat, anyway?"

Katsuki rolled his eyes, shoving his hand back into his pockets. "Four."

"Eh?" The old man arched an eyebrow. "Four? Yer an infant?" He let out a bemused snort before shaking his head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scrappy piece of paper.

"Here," he said, handing it to Katsuki. "I run a gym if yer interested. Feel free to drop by. Maybe when yer older, though."

Katsuki took the voucher gingerly before stuffing it in his pocket and nodding at the man.

"Thanks."

Baldy slapped his shins with his umbrella once again. "Don't worry about it, brat! Yeh saved me a trip to the hospital." The man smirked, swinging his umbrella over his shoulder and hobbling towards his cycle. "See yeh around."

Katsuki scoffed as he let the barest scraps of a smile creep onto his face. He twisted around sharply and strode forward. The crowd of onlookers practically parted for him, allowing Katsuki walk in relative peace, even if he had to block out the hushed mutters that followed him.

Katsuki sighed. _Well, that was interesting. _

Not in a bad way, Katsuki supposed. Baldy seemed like a nice, if not tough, old man, and he definitely didn't regret saving him. He just didn't want the incident to attract too much attention. The last thing he needed was some hero finding out and parading him around as the _next big thing_.

He'd seen it happen to heroes like Hawks.

Katsuki sighed, staring at his feet as he shuffled forward. Neglecting his surroundings, he felt his face collide with what felt like hard muscle covered in soft fabric.

He shook his head, already mumbling out apologies as he looked up-

And froze.

Because Eraserhead was staring right back at him.

_Shit._

Katsuki spun on his feet and began to sprint the other way. Not even two seconds passed before white tape stretched around his wrists and ankles.

"_Oi!" _he yelled, thrashing around as Eraserhead pulled Katsuki towards him. "_Let me go, you stupid fucking hero! Let me go!"_

The man only raised an eyebrow. "Running away from a hero is extremely suspicious, you realise?" he said dryly.

Katsuki scowled and tried to kick the hero in the stomach.

"Fuck off, I'm four."

Eraserhead snorted. "You don't _act _four."

Katsuki stiffened.

"Anyway," the man continued, gently placing him on the floor but still keeping him under wraps. "Word on the street is that a little kid saved a cyclist from crashing into an ambulance by throwing a rock at the wheel and forcibly stopping it." He gave Katsuki an amused look. "Apparently it was an angry-looking kid with blonde hair and red eyes, sound familiar?"

Katsuki glowered and crossed his arms over his chest petulantly.

"Fuck off."

"That was extremely dangerous, you know?" the hero said, sighing. "There were so many ways that could have gone wrong."

Katsuki tsked and looked away. "Well, it worked, didn't it?"

"Don't make this a habit," Eraserhead said warningly.

He rolled his eyes and tugged at the bindings still wrapped around him. "Great. Cool. Let me go now."

The hero smirked and pulled Katsuki onto his shoulder. At Katsuki's vehement protest, he only grinned.

"Don't think I don't recognise that uniform," he said, a sly glint flickering in his eyes. "What kind of hero would I be if I let a preschooler skip school on my watch?"

The look Eraserhead gave him practically oozed smugness.

Katsuki socked him on the cheek with his foot.

* * *

"Ah! Thank you so much! We've been so worried!"

Shouta arched an eyebrow at the woman who was furiously bowing towards him. "It's no big deal," he said dryly. His gaze flickered to the blonde who stood sullenly by her side, "I just found him on my way. It was no trouble at all."

"Still," the woman, Hasumi, if he remembered correctly, continued. "He's been disappearing from preschool for days now. I think his parents have just given up."

"Oh?" said Shouta, as he cast an interested glance at Bakugou, who scowled. "This is normal?"

Hasumi rubbed her head sheepishly. "Unfortunately," she said, giving a hesitant look at Bakugou. "I won't ask you to bring him back every time you find him, but if you, er, see him out and about, could you, um, keep an eye out for him?"

Shouta shrugged, still keeping a lofty gaze on Bakugou, who was still scowling vehemently. "Sure."

The woman beamed. "Thank you!"

Shouta sighed and waved her off. "It's no big deal," he flicked another glance at Bakugou. "He's an interesting kid."

The blonde bared his teeth at the few preschoolers who attempted to come near him.

_Very interesting._

* * *

"_You know," Aizawa said, back slumped against the couch. He nursed a glass of wine in his hands. "If you were still acting like the Bakugou who had just come first in the Entrance Exam, I would've said you deserve at least 75% of what's going on."_

_Katsuki snorted, chugging down his own glass before collapsing face forward onto his ratty floor._

"_Cheers to that," he mumbled, raising his empty glass._

"_But now," Aizawa took another swig, staring blankly at the crumbling wall in front of him. "Now, I don't think you even deserve 10."_

_Katsuki scoffed and limply rolled onto his back. _

"_Too late now."_

_Aizawa snorted. _

"_Isn't it?" he said bitterly, before raising his glass loftily. "To our shitty society."_

_Katsuki smirked and raised his empty one. "To my shitty personality."_

_Aizawa kicked his arm. _

"_It was only shitty up until the end of your first year. UA got it out of you real quick."_

_Katsuki let his arm drop to the floor beside him. He ignored the shattered clatter of broken glass. _

"_Sure, Sensei, " he mumbled. "Sure."_

* * *

Despite Katsuki's best attempts at avoiding the city the next day, Eraserhead still managed to find him.

He'd been sitting on a small pile of junk, absentmindedly detonating explosions in his hand, when a dry voice spoke up from behind him.

"You know this is public property? Quirk use is still illegal."

Katsuki twisted around in an instant, explosions spitting from his palms as he lunged at the figure-

White tape curled around him, and Katsuki blinked, sparks fading as he let himself fall limp in the capture tape's grasp.

_Oh,_ he thought, scowling at the scruffy man in front of him. _It's just you._

Eraserhead gently lifted him from his pile of junk and set him down on the grainy sand next to the hero.

"So," the man said, sitting down beside him, "you skipped school again?"

Katsuki didn't answer, choosing to stare blankly at one of the many mounds of trash around him. He had no idea _why _Eraserhead seemed so interested in him, but he wasn't going to encourage it by answering his questions. It wasn't like he could run away, the hero still had his tape hovering near Katsuki.

"Why'd you come to a trash dump?" the man tried again, still staring at Katsuki. "I heard the explosions so I came to check, didn't expect to see you again."

He scowled. Fate must really fucking hate him if all these meetings were just coincidences.

The hero sighed. "Come on, kid, answer me. You running around the city by yourself isn't safe. Is there something going on at preschool? Is that why you run away?"

Katsuki tsked. Eraserhead was starting to sound like his parents with his stupid nagging,

The man shook his head and finally stood up. He motioned for Katsuki to do the same. "Get up, kid. I'm taking you back to preschool."

Katsuki didn't move.

"Kid-"

"No."

Eraserhead blinked. "What?"

Katsuki turned to stare at him. "I'm not fucking going."

The hero seemed to sigh. "Look, kid, I can't just leave you-"

"Yes, you can. Fak-Hasumi-sensei said it was fine."

Eraserhead narrowed his eyes at him. "That's not an excuse."

"It kind of is."

"I'm not leaving a four-year-old alone on a trash dump."

"This four-year-old would be fucking delighted if you did."

"Just mope around at preschool, why do you need to do it at a trash dump."

"Because preschool's annoying."

The hero opened his mouth to retort but seemed to think better of it, adopting a contemplative look instead.

"Why don't you ask to be moved up a class?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "Maybe it'll be less annoying?"

Katsuki scowled. "That's just as bad, what the fuck does moving up a class do?"

The hero hummed. He seemed thoughtful, staring at Katsuki like he was an unfinished puzzle.

"You're a smart kid," he said, shrugging. "Perhaps you're just not getting challenged? Why not start elementary school now?"

Katsuki glowered and kicked an empty can to the side. "No way. School's fucking stupid."

The man sighed. "Whatever, I guess that's for your parents to decide." He stared down at Katsuki. "Are they fine with you running off?"

He shrugged. "Kind of."

"They know where you are?"

"Yeah."

The hero hesitated for a few seconds, looking slightly contemplative before reluctantly retracting his tape. "If something happens, let it be known that I tried."

Katsuki scowled at the man as he twisted away and scurried in the opposite direction.

"Hope I never see you again, shitty hero!" he called out.

Eraserhead snorted, and shuffled the other way. "If you stop this habit, you probably won't."

Katsuki glowered, darting through the piles of rubbish as he made his way through Dagobah Beach. He didn't know what shitty stars were dictating his and Eraserhead meetings, but he hoped they got sucked into a fucking black hole.

Eraserhead was one of the worst people he could meet in this shitty timeline. Not just because of his future connections to UA, but because Katsuki had actually _liked_ him. He wasn't like Izuku or any of his other shitty classmates, they were all brats and still worlds away from the people they would eventually be. Izuku, he knew, would never be Deku the same way he was before, Katsuki had too much of an influence for Izuku to grow up the same way, and it wasn't like he was going to _let _people shit on Izuku.

Eraserhead, on the other hand, wasn't too different. Maybe a little less world-weary and a little more energetic, but the ideals that once directed Aizawa-sensei still held strong in the hero today, and Katsuki wasn't sure what he felt about that.

It was a bit like a kick in the gut, he supposed, every time he saw the man. The rational part of him would remind him that Eraserhead was a hero, the thing he _didn't _want to be, and getting involved was too risky, too painful. It could destroy the little bubble he had created around him to protect him from those associated with his future.

But another part of him, the part that festered on his raw emotions, just _wanted_. It wanted the security that Aizawa provided, it wanted the feeling of _safety _that he emitted, it _wanted,_ because it knew that Aizawa would never leave him like _they _had.

Katsuki glared darkly at the dirty pavement he trudged on, as if the inanimate thing was the source of all his problems. He'd left Dagobah Beach by now, and was plodding his way towards the Musutafu City Centre. Mitsuki had started giving him a bit of pocket money, so he could probably grab a bite.

Well, that had been the plan until a distinct clatter of falling objects caught his attention.

Katsuki glanced up.

An elderly lady was kneeling on the ground not too far from him. She was a kind-looking woman, with soft, slanted eyes and a gentle frown stretched across her face. Lightly tanned skin was peppered with wrinkles, and thin, silvery hair was moulded firmly into a tight bun across her head.

A cluster of paperwhite bags was strewn around the woman, who was slowly tugging them towards her and gathering the odd bits of fresh produce that were scattered among them.

"Oh dear," he could hear her murmur. "I suppose I'll have to wash these vegetables extra hard tonight."

Katsuki found himself striding towards her, kneeling down and collecting some of the many bags into his tiny hands. He found himself scowling petulantly at her questioning gaze.

"Where do you live?" he asked curtly. "I'll carry some for you."

The old woman laughed, slowly standing to her feet once all the bags were gathered. "I can't burden a young boy with such a laborious task," she said, looking at him curiously, scanning his face again and again as if to affirm something.

Katsuki glowered. "I can handle it fucking fine," he said gruffly. "You don't look like you can take another fall."

Grocery Lady smiled playfully. "Was it the hair or the wrinkles?"

Katsuki allowed a small smirk, as he strode ahead. "Both."

The old woman let out another warm chuckle, ambling in front of him with surprising ease. "You really don't pull your punches, do you?"

Katsuki's snort was only slightly muffled by the bags piled onto his arms. "Why should I if they're true?"

She smiled. "Why should you, indeed."

The elderly lady guided him through Musutafu with little fanfare, busying them both with light-hearted conversation and gentle scolding.

"A boy your age should be in preschool," she'd softly chastised. "Your childhood is a precious time to make friends and build social skills."

Katsuki had snorted. "I don't need fucking friends and social skills are useless." They weren't. Katsuki knew, but in the future he envisioned for himself, they might as well be. Loners living in remote mansions didn't need _people._

The old woman had only gently shaken her head, a reproachful look on her face.

They arrived at the lady's residence after twenty or so minutes of slow-paced walking. It was an old brick building, modestly sized but adequately taken care off, that was situated not far from a popular gym. The meagre land surrounding it boasted a garden that was bursting with flowers and fruit,

It was… homely.

The old woman carefully opened the door, placing down her own bags before tugging the rest from him.

He glowered, glancing away as she rummaged through one of the bags and plucked out a block of chocolate. He scowled when she held it out in front of him and pushed it away.

"I don't need shitty chocolate," he grumbled, "I just want to know your name."

Grocery Lady laughed warmly, tucking the block into his hands anyway. "My name," she said softly, "is Sakura, Akito Sakura."

Katsuki blinked, recognition creeping through him as he rolled the word on his tongue. "A..kito?"

Grocery Lady chuckled quietly. "Yes, I believe you've met my husband before, Katsuki-kun."

The crabby old cyclist from yesterday popped into Katsuki's mind and he frowned. "Huh," he said. "Small world."

A hand gently placed itself between the tufts of his hair and began making smooth circular motions.

Katsuki did his best to hide his flinch.

Grocery Lady gazed at him sadly. "So young," she murmured. "Yet so troubled, have four years been that unkind to you?"

He stiffened at her words, eyes darting away as he attempted to tug away from her touch.

She held him in place with a stern look and Katsuki forced his feet to stay rooted.

"My quirk is called '_Soothing Touch',_" Grocery Lady told him, eyes kind and comforting. "May I use it on you?"

Katsuki hesitated for a second, before giving her a jerky nod.

She smiled sadly, and Katsuki could feel the hand resting on his hand grow warm. A cool, almost liquidy, sensation began to drizzle through him, dripping from the hairs of his head to the soles of his feet. It eased his clenched muscles, dulled his panicked emotions, and replaced it all with an eerie calm.

Katsuki let out a large exhale. All the brimming anxieties from before had been muffled to a dull throb, his body felt loose and light, and he felt… calm. Placid.

Strange.

Katsuki glanced up at the woman. She had tugged her hand away but the sad smile from before still sat on her face.

"Perhaps you should go home now, Katsuki-kun," she said. "Your parents must be worried about you."

He nodded mutely and began to turn away - but not before mumbling out a small, "_thank you."_

Katsuki could almost hear her smile grow.

"It's not a problem, Katsuki-kun, not at all."

* * *

_Izuku's face was eerily blank. He moved swiftly and robotically to the open laptop lying on his desk._

_**Click**__._ _**Tap**__._ _**Tap**__._ _**Tap**__._ _**Click**__. _

_He signed in, the 4K image of the Grand Canyon disappeared, replaced by a blurry photo of 3-A smiling at the camera, the UA main building towering over them._

_**Click**__. _

_Izuku's mouse hovered over the blue, red, green and yellow pinwheel, a click later, 3-A disappeared, replaced by a white and grey screen with the words __**Google **__glaring discrepantly at him._

_**Click**__._ _**Tap**__._ _**Click**__._ _**Click**__. _

_His cursor drifted to the search bar. All he needed to do was type one letter and his single __**J **__quickly autocompleted to __**Japan's National New Outlet**__. He pressed the link._

_**Click**__. _

_The article Izuku wanted at the top of the page. The title practically socked him in the gut, but he still couldn't claim to be surprised. _

_**Click**__._ _**Scroll**__._ _**Click**__. _

_He pressed the link with a stomach full of dread, one that got heavier and heavier as he scrolled down the article._

_It was the final sentence that finally soured that dread into anger._

_[Ground Zero is a disgrace, he's a stain to all heroes, he doesn't __deserve __to be a hero. Regardless of his age at the time, he should be held accountable for his actions, that man deserves every bit of hate coming at him.] _

_They didn't understand. People change. They didn't know him. How could they know? How could they understand?_

_Kacchan… was a hero._

_**BANG!**_ _**CRASH!**_ _**BANG!**_

_The laptop's keyboard had a hole in it, a fist-sized one, with dents that could be mistaken as knuckle imprints lining the fringe of the mouse pad. Chunks of wood splintered away from the bottom of his desk, scattering across the floor like confetti._

"_IZUKU!"_

_His mother burst through the door, her hair and dress, a frazzled mess as she stared dazedly at the destroyed desk and laptop._

"_I-Izuku," she stuttered. "What happened-"_

_A single tear trickled from a single eye._

"_They destroyed him," Izuku whispered. "They destroyed __**everything**_ _he did. He can't… he'll never be a hero."_

"_Oh, Izuku," she murmured._

_Tremors shook his body, and he collapsed to his knees, holding two trembling hands to his face. _

"_It's not fair," Izuku mumbled, "He didn't... he changed… he doesn't… he shouldn't… __**deserve **__this. He… I… it's not __**fair**__!"_

_His mother slowly walked towards him. She placed a comforting hand on his shivering back. _

"_It'll be okay, Izuku," she whispered. "It'll be okay."_

"_No," Izuku muttered bitterly. "No, it won't."_

* * *

The next time Shouta saw Bakugou was at All Might's Meet and Greet.

Let it be said that Shouta absolutely did _not _want to be there. He respected All Might as a capable and strong hero, but he held no such devotion that he would go out of his way to be security for his fan meetups.

It was just that one of his friends _did, _and that very same friend managed to get themselves heavily sick the night before the meet and greet and weasel a promise out of Shouta to cover for him.

So, on a perfectly sleepable Monday afternoon, Shouta was out patrolling the boiling, hot streets of Musutafu City Centre, where certain sections of the city had been closed off to allow for the whole debacle.

Honestly, Shouta had no idea _why _the Symbol of Peace was hosting a Meet and Greet; as flashy and over-the-top as the man was, rarely did he go through such great lengths to flaunt his title.

Word on the hero rumour train, though, according to Hizashi, was that All Might was looking for someone.

Not that Shouta cared.

He sighed as another screaming kid pushed past him, scrambling towards the makeshift stage where All MIght was.

Kids. Ugh. The place was swarming with them. Little snot-nosed brats who thought All Might was the coolest fucking thing to grace the Earth.

Shouta's sigh drew out even further when who he assumed was the screaming kid's father shoved him to the side in some haggard attempt to reach his wayward spawn.

He groaned, situating himself at the very perimeter of the whole event. All Might's obnoxiously loud voice could still be heard, sadly, but the screaming was at least slightly dulled from here.

Shouta had been perfectly prepared to stay right where he was for the rest of the afternoon. It was the Number One's Meet and Greet, after all, the security was partially a formality.

That was, until, of course, he spotted two familiar mops of green and blonde making their way towards him.

"I can't believe that shitty hag still made me go," he heard Bakugou fume angrily, "I fuckin' _told_ her I didn't want to and she _still _did it."

"But why, Kacchan?" Midoriya asked, trailing after the blonde who had his hand firmly in his grasp. "All Might's so _cool!"_

Bakugou wrinkled his nose. "It's complicated," he said, as he pulled the green-haired boy along behind him. "Don't exhaust your brain thinking about it."

Midoriya frowned. "What does 'exhaust' mean-" The boy's eyes widened, Shouta realised too late that it was because they were staring at him.

"_ERASERHEAD!"_ the boy yelled, tugging at the blonde as he attempted to run towards him. "Kacchan! Look! It's Eraserhead!"

Shouta, in the face of the beaming smile Midoriya was giving him, allowed a little wave in their direction.

Bakugou, for his part, had the same sour look on his face he adopted any time he saw Shouta. Though this one faded surprisingly fast as the boy looked contemplatively between the makeshift stage where All Might was booming inspirational quotes, an towords to Shouta's little corner at the edge of the perimeter.

"Izuku," he said, releasing his grasp on the boy. "Your mom and my parents are waiting for us by the stage, right?"

At Midoriya's nod, he grinned. "Great," the blonde said, clapping his hands together. "Tell them I found a 'super fuckin' cool hero that I wanna meet and that they can come find me here once this shit show is over', okay?"

Midoriya had a crestfallen look on his face. "You… don't want to see All Might?"

Bakugou scowled at him and pushed him lightly in the other direction. "No, so tell my shitty parents that."

Midoriya looked dismayed, but he did turn away, slowly trudging towards the stage where his mother probably was.

"You eavesdropping on us, shitty hero?"

Shouta looked down, and true to his word, Bakugou was standing sullenly in front of him, looking like he'd rather eat raw pufferfish than be there.

Shouta smirked at the blonde.

"Super fuckin' cool, huh? I'm honoured."

A tiny foot kicked his shin. "Fuck you."

A comfortable silence elapsed for the next couple of minutes. Bakugou seemed content enough to plonk himself beside Shouta and silently observe the people bustling by, all eager to catch a glimpse of the Number One Hero.

"So," Shouta finally said. "Not an All Might fan, huh?"

The boy beside him shrugged . "He's alright. I used to like him a lot, but now I just…" The boy scrunched up his face, as if he was straining for an answer. "I just... I don't know, like him as much as I used to."

Shouta raised an eyebrow. "To the point where you'd rather sit around me, the hero you hate?"

"I don't hate you."

Shouta glanced down. The blonde was staring blankly into the distance, looking oddly reminiscent.

"I'm just," the boy continued hesitantly, "not a fan of heroes."

Shouta hummed contemplatively. He wasn't surprised, even if he'd initially assumed otherwise.

"Why?"

Bakugou shrugged, slouching forward. "Heroes are good people most of the time, I get that. I see the point in them. They're admirable and all. I just don't want to be one."

Shouta nodded slowly. The pieces were coming together in his mind, mixing and matching to complete the puzzle that was Bakugou Katsuki.

"Do people tell you to be a hero?" he prompted.

A shadow fell across Bakugou's face, and Shouta could see him clench his fists. "Every fucking day."

"And you don't want to be one?"

"I don't _deserve _to be one," he spat out, before freezing.

Shouta blinked, and any pieces he held so confidently began to crumble.

"Deserve," he echoed, glancing down to narrow his eyes at the boy. "What does _deserve _have anything to do with it?"

Bakugou stiffened and looked determinedly away from Shouta. "Forget it," he said harshly. "It doesn't matter."

Shouta found himself stretching out his capture tape, holding Bakugou gently in place as he crouched down directly in the boy's line of sight.

"Kid," he said carefully. "You're _four_, whatever atrocious sin you think you've committed probably isn't a big deal, and even if it was, no one would hold it against you."

The boy scowled at him. "Drop it," he bit out.

"Bakugou," he said softly. "If someone's telling you that you don't deserve to be a hero then they are dead wrong. You were incredibly protective of Midoriya when I first met you, you saved that cyclist from a trip to the hospital, and I saw you helping that old lady with her bags. You _are _a heroic person."

At Shouta's praise, the boy only seemed to scowl harder.

"I'm not going to be a hero," he said tightly, "I'm not going to be a hero, I'm not going to be _anything. _I'm going to live a perfect, normal, _civilian _life away from heroics and away from anything _else _that makes a fuss."

Shouta stared at Bakugou. He looked so determined, so _driven_… to have no drive at all. This wasn't just some half-baked, childish dream, this was a genuine _goal. _A prodigal kid with amazing potential… wanted nothing more than to squander it.

A booming voice shook him out of his musings.

"_I would now like to invite all kids under the age of eight to join me up on the stage!"_

Shouta stood up and grimaced, pulling Bakugou towards his chest as hoards of kids bulldozed their way past them. He quirked an amused smirk at Bakugou, who sat stiffly in his capture tape.

"You want to go see All Might?"

"Fuck no."

Shouta grinned.

* * *

It was five in the evening when the Meet and Greet finally ended, All Might went through extreme lengths to talk to every kid on the stage, dragging the whole thing out for another or so.

Not that Shouta minded, Bakugou ended up pulling out a scruffy pack of cards, and the two played _Rummy _for the rest of the time.

He'd never claimed to be good at card games, but losing to a four-year-old did leave a slightly bitter taste in his mouth.

By the time the crowd started filing out, Bakugou had fifteen wins out twenty games, and Shouta was _this _close to throwing his hand onto the ground.

(He wouldn't, of course, he wasn't a child, and it didn't matter that Bakugou had that _stupid, smug_ look on his face.)

"Rummy," Bakugou announced, placing a card onto the floor. A smirk curled its way onto his face as he revealed his hand.

Shouta ran his eyes over it a couple of times. All was in order. Dammit.

He sighed and flung his cards onto the floor. "Here," he said. "No life and no joker."

Katsuki grinned, flicking through the laid out cards. "Ten, ten, seven, nine, eight, six, two, ten, six, ten, ten, five, ten. One hundred and three in total," he finished gleefully. "You got _wasted_."

A shrill voice cut in before he could reply.

"_Oi, Katsuki! Where the hell are you!"_

Bakugou scowled, gathering up the cards and standing up. "Over here, woman."

A young, blonde woman glanced towards them. She scowled as she stormed over, a brown-haired man trailing a step behind her.

"Katsuki," the woman scolded, "I can't believe you fucking bailed, we came here to cheer you up."

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "I told you, woman, I didn't want to fucking go."

"I thought you were just saying that!"

"Then it's not my fucking fault you didn't listen!"

The brown-haired man sighed as the pair continued to argue, adjusting his glasses before turning to Shouta.

"So," he said, running a curious gaze over him. "You're the hero Katsuki likes?"

Shouta shrugged. "I guess," he said. He slid his eyes towards Bakugou. The boy seemed at ease with the yelling, only flinching when the woman moved too close for too long. She appeared to be aware of it as well, pulling herself away when he looked too uncomfortable.

"...don't mean to be rude, but which hero are you?"

Shouta blinked. The man was looking at him inquisitively, and the previously arguing woman was shooting him a suspicious glare as well.

"Yeah," she said, putting a hand on her hip. "Who the hell are you?"

Shouta sighed, rummaging through his pocket to fish out his Hero License. He held it out to them.

"I'm an Underground Hero," he said dryly. "That's probably why you haven't heard of me." He narrowed his eyes at the pair. "So, you guys are his parents?"

They both nodded. The woman pointed to herself. "I'm Mitsuki, this is Masaru." She rubbed her head sheepishly. "I suppose I should thank you for looking out for him."

Shouta shrugged. "It's not an issue. He's an interesting kid."

Bakugou scoffed. His mother lightly whacked him on the head.

"Well," his father sighed, "I guess we should be going now." He smiled at Shouta. "Thanks again."

And with that, the family left, leaving Shouta with his thoughts.

_Interesting._

* * *

Katsuki scowled, kicking the pavement in front of him as he trudged forward. The streets were always busy this time in the evening, everyone would've just finished work now, and be heading home in the bustling traffic that clogged the roads.

Katsuki sighed.

Nothing had gone the way he wanted these last couple of days. First, his shitty parents had dragged to that stupid, fuckin' Meet and Greet, which he was _perfectly_ aware only happened because All MIght was trying to sniff him out. They also had the balls to wrench fuckin' Izuku and Inko into it, which, sure, Izuku had practically creamed his pants delight, but _Katsuki _didn't want them there.

Then he met Eraserhead. Again. Sure, hanging around him was better than being thrust against All Might, but that didn't mean Katsuki had to be _happy _about it.

Except he had been. He _enjoyed_ being around Eraserhead. The hero rarely ever talked down to him. He was blunt and brutally honest in a way Katsuki could appreciate and Katsuki found himself unwilling instilling some _trust _in the man even though he _knew _he shouldn't because nothing ever good came out of trusting people and-

"Oi, brat!"

Katsuki glanced up. The slightly hunched frame of Baldy was towering over him, a red umbrella in hand and a faintly disapproving frown in place.

"What're yeh even doin'? The old man asked. "Yer wanderin' the streets like someone stepped on yer goddamn puppy."

Katsuki scowled at him. "Fuck off."

An umbrella whacked his shins.

"Language," Baldy scolded mirthfully, returning the umbrella back to its walking stick position.

Katsuki scoffed, and a hand grabbed his wrist. He bit back a flinch, squirming in the grasp of the old man as he dragged him forward. "Oi," he said. "Where the hell are you taking me, shitty Baldy."

The old man snorted. "Have yeh eaten, brat?"

Katsuki scowled and looked away. His stomach gave a slight rumble.

Baldy grinned triumphantly. "Then to my house. Sakura's makin' some quality gyudon."

Katsuki rolled his eyes but allowed himself to be dragged along. "You could be some fucking creep trying to kidnap me."

Baldy snorted. "Good thing I ain't then."

Ten minutes of getting towed around later, and they were at the same old, red brick house that Katsuki had accompanied the old lady too.

Baldy practically kicked open the door. "_Sakura!" _he yelled, pulling Katsuki inside. "I brought that damn kid over for dinner!"

Katsuki was dragged through a wide, open corridor and towards one of its many doors on the right. A smiling, wrinkled face greeted him, gently tugging him away from Baldy's grasp and ushering him towards an old, wooden table.

"It's so nice to see you, dear," the old lady said softly, "I'll have the food ready in a jiffy."

Katsuki nodded jerkily as the woman disappeared and Baldy took a seat next to him. He glanced around him. The room had an old, retro vibe to it. The floor was dark and wooden, with an abundance of rugs splattered over it. Pasty, yellow wallpaper covered the surrounding walls and the furniture was coloured in various dark, muted colours.

A steaming beef bowl was placed in front of him. Grocery Lady smiled. "Dig in, Katsuki-kun."

He eyed the bowl hesitantly, picking up the chopsticks placed next to it before pausing. He glanced up at the old couple, both of whom were watching him carefully.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked. "I'm just some random kid."

Baldy scoffed. "Yeh saved me a trip to the hospital, brat, yer ain't just some random kid."

"But you didn't have to take me to your fucking _house!"_ Katsuki protested.

"We don't," Grocery Lady said softly. "Just like you didn't have to save Nai and help me with my bags."

Katsuki scowled but allowed himself to take a bite of the gyudon. He chewed it slowly, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"It's really good," he said quietly after swallowing.

Grocery Lady smiled at him. "I'm glad."

They ate in quiet for a couple more minutes, before Baldy finally broke it with a loud scoff.

"So, kid," he began. "Why the hell are yeh wanderin' around by yerself anyway? Parents these days are pansies, no way they'd let ya."

Katsuki glowered. "'Cause preschool's fucking annoying."

Baldy smirked, guzzling down a glass of water before setting it down with a loud _chink_. "Brats there too dumb for ya?"

"I guess," Katsuki said. He took a sip from his own glass.

Baldy burst out into bellowing laughter. "Yer too smart for yer own good, kid. Not surprised yeh'd rather traipse 'round these streets, I'm surprised yer parents haven't kicked up a fuss."

Katsuki smirked. "They've gotten used to it."

Baldy chortled again, while Grocery Lady looked thoughtful. "You know, dear," she said. "If you don't have anything to do during the day, you could always come by Kiyoshi Foster Centre. I volunteer there, since all their kids are young, and they could use an extra pair of hands. I heard the new head caregiver wanted to clean up the playground next door."

Katsuki startled at the familiar name, the image of Stutter Lady and her not-kid flashing through his mind.

Baldy snorted. "An' if that's too goody two shoes for ya, yeh can always stop by the gym. Yeh seem like a fit kid. No one's gonna mind a brat jumpin' up an' down on the trampoline."

Katsuki bit his lip, staring down at the food in front of him. He knew why they were making these offers. Obviously, no matter how 'prodigal' he was, no one trusted him to wander around by himself. What they offered meant adult supervision, something he'd been avoiding.

As if to seal the deal, Grocery Lady asked. "Do you have your parent's numbers, Katsuki-kun? So I can tell them you're here instead of home."

Katsuki was so very, very tempted to just flat out deny them, but what they were suggesting wasn't exactly _bad…_ A proper gym would be nice to work out in. And helping out a group home wasn't the worst thing in the world.

"Fine," he relented, stabbing his chopsticks into his bowl. "Where the fuck is this place home, anyway?"

The old couple grinned.

* * *

Shouta expected a lot of things from Bakugou Katsuki, walking into him aggressively wiping down a rusty swing in an old playground was not one of them.

Especially not with a crotchety, old man swinging his umbrella and yelling at him while he did so.

"_Faster_, boy! You work slower than a _slug!"_

Bakugou scowled and twisted around to yell "Fuck off, shitty old man."

The man huffed, shaking his head and turning away while the old, gentle lady next to him handed the boy a bucket of soapy water.

"Here, Katsuki-kun," she said kindly as the boy took it with a gruff. Bakugou plunged the dirty rag into the bucket, swishing it around a couple of times before resuming his wiping.

"Ah! K-Katsuki-kun!"

A blonde-haired woman scrambled towards the boy, one hand holding a tray of cookies and the other pushing a practically bursting six-seat stroller.

Bakugou grinned faintly. He rubbed a wet hand on the hem of his shirt before reaching out to grab a cookie. "Thanks, Stutter-Lady."

The woman flushed bright red at the nickname, faltering as she turned to the elderly couple. "C-Cookie?"

The old man took one with a scoff, munching on it loudly as he turned to the six children who were fast asleep on the pram, head's lolling to the side and drool trickling down their chins. "Quiet bunch, ain't they?"

The woman laughed nervously. "I g-guess? They j-just had s-s-some playtime so t-they're all a bit t-tired."

The old woman smiled warmly. "You've done well with them, Hisaki-san, they really seem to like you."

'Hisaki-san' rubbed her neck uneasily. "You t-think?

The elderly lady chuckled. "I _know."_

The woman smiled softly.

"_I need some more soap, shitty old man!"_

Shouta sighed, backing away from the scene as the old man whacked Bakugou on the shins.

It was refreshing to see someone so young do something so nice_. _Especially Bakugou, whose prickly exterior could be tough to see through.

He really was a good kid.


	5. things are broken

'_things are broken'_

A tiny rainbow ball flew over his head, crashing onto the hinges of a metal see-saw before bouncing back towards Katsuki. He caught the ball with a _tsk, _twisting around sharply to meet the trembling eyes of the girl who threw it.

_She's in my class,_ he realised blearily, recognizing the cropped, raven hair and big, doe eyes. Scowling, he tossed the ball towards her. She didn't catch it, predictably, and watched it roll back onto the ground for a few blank seconds before chasing after it.

Katsuki sighed and turned away. Even though his parents finally got off his back about preschool, Mitsuki still insisted on dumping him in a playground to '_socialise'. _She'd been overjoyed at the Akitos offers to kind of babysit him, of course, but she still wanted Katsuki to be a '_half-decent human being' _and '_make friends.'_

Apparently, the group home didn't fucking count 'cause everyone there was three or younger.

Katsuki scowled again and dumped himself on the ground. He was half-tempted to just leave, but his mother had threatened to drag him to work with her if he pulled too many escape attempts. He supposed he'd just have to sit this one through.

"Izuku! Izuku! I found it!"

Katsuki frowned, tugging his gaze up towards the green-haired boy playing in the sandpit. Rainbow Ball from before ran up to him, the ball held in her hands triumphantly.

Izuku beamed at her. "Thanks, Mai-chan! We can play catch!"

The girl nodded eagerly and clung onto Izuku's arm as she dragged him away. "Let's play now!"

A familiar bitterness bubbled through Katsuki as he took in the scene with a self-deprecating smirk.

_I guess without me in the picture, Deku could have made friends fine._

He sighed and curled a palm around his wrist, letting a few explosions sear across the back of his hand before letting go.

_I deserve it anyway_, he told himself, biting back his grimace at the stinging pain. _It's fine._

Katsuki watched Izuku and Rainbow play for a little longer. They looked annoyingly happy, fumbling around like a bunch of un-co idiots, but the beaming smiles on their faces never left.

Izuku, for his part, never paid Katsuki a second glance. Clearly, in his absence, he'd found a much better friend than Katsuki and his entourage, something Katsuki was annoyingly glad for. He'd been worried that Izuku would cling to him after their two escapades together, but it seemed like Katsuki's continued absence at preschool fixed that.

It was good. A clingy Izuku would be unbearable.

"_Hey, Izuku!" _

The fat kid with wings - Chubby, as Katsuki was now going to call him, stalked up to Izuku, wings stretched out menacingly. "I heard Grandpa talking the other night," he grinned nastily. "He told me you were _Quirkless."_

The kids surrounding Chubby laughed, but Izuku only stared back at him with a watery scowl.

"Y-Yeah!" he retorted. "What about it?"

Chubby smirked. "Quirkless people are _useless_, that's what. Grandpa _said _so."

Despite his scowl, tears were starting to drip from Izuku's eyes. Rainbow just seemed frozen, clutching Izuku's shirt in a tight grip as she trembled.

"N-No, they're not," Izuku stuttered back.

Chubby held out a fist ominously and pounded it with his other hand. "You wanna see?"

Katsuki sighed, getting to his feet and ambling towards them. Chubby practically beamed as he arrived.

"Katsuki," he said eagerly. "Did you know that Izuku was Quirkless-"

Katsuki slapped him.

"_Ah!" _Chubby cupped a hand over his swollen cheek, staring at him in shock. "Katsuki, why-"

"Do you want to be a hero?" he interrupted coldly. At Chubby's shaky nod, he scowled. "Then don't pull shit like this."

"But, Katsuki," another kid cut in. "Didn't you say a couple of weeks ago that-"

He tsked. "Well, I fucking _regret _it, _okay_?" He let a couple of sparks spit from his palm when Chubby looked like he wanted to protest. A couple more seconds under his heavy glare and the kids surrounding them started to edge away, resuming their previous activities.

Katsuki whipped around. Izuku and Rainbow were frozen still, staring at him with something akin to awe.

"What?" he gruffed, raising an eyebrow. "Next time this happens you better slap them yourself, 'kay?"

Izuku gave a jerky nod while Rainbow flushed bright red.

"D-Don't worry, K-Katsuki!" she blurted out. "I-I'll protect Izuku!"

Katsuki shrugged, cracking his neck to the side. "That works too, I guess." He turned around and began shuffling back towards his original stop.

Dully, he could hear Rainbow whisper to Izuku. "He's so _cool."_

"I _know_ right," Izuku mumbled back. "Kacchan's the _best_."

Katsuki scowled as he dumped himself back onto the ground. _This is going to be fucking annoying._

* * *

"_Hey, Baku-Bro," Kirishima clapped a hand over his shoulder, grinning. "Did you hear? Izuku and his team finally tracked down Daruma Ujiko again."_

_Katsuki scoffed, jerking off the hand as they strode into the agency. _

_"Of course fucking Deku did, he'd never let it go after the bastard escaped."_

_Shitty-Hair beamed. "But it's still pretty cool, we only graduated a couple of months ago and he's already out there making differences."_

_Katsuki tsked, setting his face back into a scowl. "Yeah, whatever. Daruma's that shitty doctor, right?"_

_Shitty-Hair's face fell. "Yeah. He did some pretty terrible things."_

_Katsuki grimaced. "I remember."_

* * *

"Come on, _boy! _Run _faster!"_

Katsuki scowled at Baldy, who was jogging ahead of with ease.

"_Not_— _everyone _—_has _—_fucking _—_strength _—_quirk_," he wheezed.

Baldy laughed, swerving through another corner of the empty corner effortlessly. "It's Progressive Strength, brat. It builds up as I go and we've only just started!"

Katsuki rolled his eyes as he fumbled to catch up, trying in vain to calm his erratic panting.

Baldy frowned at him, before sighing. "Alright, brat, yer taking a break." He slowed down in front of a cafe, staring at Katsuki as he practically sunk to his knees in front of him. Baldy wrinkled his nose. "Geez, brat. If yeh were that tired yeh could have said so. I haven't forgotten yer four."

Katsuki scowled. "_Fuck_—_off._"

Baldy scoffed and grabbed his wrist as he dragged him inside the cafe. "Let's put some meat on yeh, boy. Yeh look like a twig."

Katsuki tsked but followed along limply. It was a small, but busy, cafe, with a black and white theme and only two women manning the orders.

He glowered, allowing himself to be tossed towards a near-empty table while Baldy muttered something about _using a damn bathroom._ He turned grudgingly to the scruffy looking man and-

Eraserhead stared back.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to meet me on purpose." The man loftily raised an eyebrow at him, and Katsuki rolled his eyes.

"I'd say the same fucking thing."

Eraserhead snorted and took a sip from the coffee cup in front of him. "You here alone, kid?"

Katsuki scowled, drumming his fingers underneath the table that went up to his chin.

"No, the shitty old man's with me."

Eraserhead looked faintly pleased by that, turning away and slouching back on his seat.

"Good."

Katsuki stared at the man. He never would've imagined Aizawa expressing concern to him so easily. The man had always been a tough-love sort of teacher, showing care only when necessary. The only time Katsuki had _really _seen it was when they both got wasted in his apartment after his career had gone shit.

That had been the last time he ever saw Aizawa, now that he thought about it.

Maybe Eraserhead just seemed so different because their dynamic was so different. Katsuki wasn't his student anymore, he was just some random kid, a four-year-old one at that. He was probably like a less-traumatised Eri to him.

Katsuki sighed. _I suppose even Aizawa had a soft spot for kids._

"I'm back, brat- who's this?"

Katsuki glanced up. Baldy was standing across from him, squinting at the hero huddled in the corner.

Eraserhead exhaled, rummaging through his pockets before holding up his Hero Licence. "I'm a hero."

"Oh?" said Baldy, taking a seat. "An' yeh know the brat, huh?"

Eraserhead shrugged. "We've run into each other a couple of times."

Baldy grinned sharply, a shrewd glint in his eyes. "Good, good. Nice to know a hero's lookin' out for him."

Eraserhead rolled his eyes but didn't deny it, shooting Katsuki a discerning glance. "He's an interesting kid."

It wasn't the first time Katsuki had heard Eraserhead say that about him, but it _was_ the first time he started realising the weight behind that statement.

Katsuki intrigued Eraserhead. He intrigued him to the point the hero somewhat cared for him.

And Katsuki… Katsuki found himself not minding, he found himself feeling _happy _about it.

_Just this once, _he told himself. _Just this one person from UA. Everyone else can go die in a ditch. _

So he scowled and banged his fist (lightly) on the table, made some scathing mumble about _no fucking food, _and acted as if the conversation between the two men never happened.

And privately, in the corners of his mind, he changed _Eraserhead _to _Aizawa _and _Aizawa _to _Sensei_.

There had to be a distinction, after all.

* * *

"_Escaped Villain: Daruma Ujiko," Katsuki read aloud, frowning as he skimmed through the thin file. "Who the fuck is he? This doesn't tell me jack-shit."_

_Shitty-Hair shrugged, spinning side-to-side on his office chair while keeping his gaze trained outside the agency window. "Dunno. Weren't you involved in the whole League of Villains/Paranormal Liberation Front case?"_

_Katsuki snorted. "That's Deku. He and his shitty nerds are fucking obsessed."_

_Shitty-Hair hummed. "I thought you would be involved in it more, since you were, you know, kidnapped by them."_

_Katsuki scoffed. "Like that gives me a free pass for a case." He sighed. "Besides, Deku's got some… personal shit against them." He scowled again. "But still, who the fuck is Daruma Ujiko?"_

"_He's the one who made the nomus."_

_Katsuki glanced up. Deku was standing at the door, a grim look on his face._

"_It was terrible," he continued. "We found him crushed under his lab, completely disfigured." A bitter smile twisted its way onto his face. "I actually... I actually felt a bit sorry for him. Until we got up to the interrogation." Something dark crossed Deku's face as he clenched his fists. "Apparently, he turned his own grandson into a nomu."_

_Katsuki gritted his teeth together. "Do you know who the grandson was?"_

_Deku shook his head. "We were still working on finding out Daruma's civilian identity. The police are pretty sure he had one, but the disfigured face made it hard to find it."_

_Shitty-Hair sighed, leaning back onto his chair. _

_"Man, people really are screwed up, huh?"_

_Katsuki scowled. "That's why heroes exist. To make the world less of a fuck-up."_

_Deku smiled faintly. _

_"I guess so, Kacchan."_

* * *

With everything going on in his life, Katsuki had almost forgotten about what he told All Might and the inevitable consequences it would have. He'd fallen into some uneasy peace, he supposed, focusing only on the things that concerned him rather than the greater picture.

Until, of course, it finally smacked him on the head in the form of a late-night news broadcast.

"_-a doctor from Shizuoka Clinic has been ousted as a villain named Daruma Ujiko. 'Dr Tsubasa' has been found guilty of inhuman experimentation of quirks on children and adults alike. He is currently believed to be on the run. If you see this man, please report-"_

Mitsuki turned off the T.V. with a sharp snap, her face paling as she glanced at Katsuki, who was lounging on the couch.

"_He-you-doctor_," she stammered, before rushing towards him and pulling him into a hug.

Katsuki flinched at the gesture, but allowed himself to be held tightly by his mother. Inside, his mind was reeling.

_**That **__shitty doctor was the villain?_ He clasped the ends of his mother's shirt. _So that meant the grandson was…_

"Tsubasa."

Mitsuki stiffened. "Katsuki, I know you-"

"No," he bit back, pushing himself away from her. "Tsubasa Ken. That bastard's grandson, he's in my class."

"Poor kid," she whispered, a sombre look crossing her face. "I doubt he knew."

Katsuki grimaced. Twisted images of mutilated flesh and stripped skulls cursed his mind and he internally shuddered.

_Poor kid indeed._

* * *

Ken didn't know when it all started to go so wrong.

Everything had been so perfect before. So what if he was an orphan? So what if he didn't know who his parents were? Ken had a super cool grandpa instead who tucked him into bed every night and gave him lots of yummy things to eat and bought him a bunch of fun toys to play with.

Maybe he would get a _tiny _bit jealous when he saw Katsuki's parents. Just a bit, of course, because then he would look back at Grandpa who would give him a big, _big_ smile and everything would be fine. Grandpa was _way_ cooler than everyone else's parents anyway. _His _grandpa would buy him _anything _he wanted and he never _ever _yelled or smacked him on the head like Katsuki's mom did.

(Katsuki's mom was scary. She always screwed up her face really tight when he played with Katsuki. Ken didn't think she liked him that much.)

But then Ken got his quirk and Grandpa started acting funny. He still bought Ken lots of treats and toys. He would buy _more_, actually, Ken didn't even have to ask anymore, they'd just appear on the dining table every other morning and Grandpa would just smile at him.

The problem was that Grandpa would also disappear a lot after Ken got his quirk. He'd stopped tucking him in every night and would go straight back to his clinic instead. Ken hadn't liked that, but when he asked, Grandpa just patted his head and told him he would understand later. Grandpa had looked kind of scary when he said that, so Ken just nodded.

What had been even weirder was that his grandpa would always ask to inspect his wings. He'd make Ken come with him to his clinic and do all these weird tests even though Ken felt fine. He'd complained about it at first, but then Grandpa promised to buy him a cake for every visit so Ken stopped.

But then one time, the last time Ken went to the clinic, his grandpa brought a bunch of needles with him. They had all been filled with brightly coloured liquid and Grandpa had told him that he was going to put them inside of Ken. When he'd asked why Grandpa had said that there was something wrong with his quirk and that the funny liquids would fix it.

So Ken had nodded and sat on the chair like his grandpa told him too, choosing to think about the big, chocolate fudge cake Grandpa had promised him instead.

Then a bunch of heroes burst through the door.

Ken had gaped at them. They were all in their super cool costumes with their super tough faces plastered on and for a minute Ken wondered if Grandpa called them over to surprise him.

Then they were telling Grandpa to freeze and a plain-looking man walked in front of them with a gun held up.

Ken had started panicking by then. There had been a mistake, obviously. Why else would the heroes be mean to his grandpa?

So he thought Grandpa would freeze like the heroes told him too, he thought Grandpa would be as surprised and frightened as Ken was and ask the heroes why they were here so they could clear everything up and tell the plain-looking guy to put away his gun.

Except his grandpa didn't. There was just a big, banging noise and suddenly lots of smoke was in the room. So much that he, the heroes, and the plain-looking guy all started coughing. By the time Ken had finally stopped and could see again, Grandpa was gone.

The heroes and the plain-looking guy looked everywhere for his grandpa. _Everywhere. _Under all the desks and inside every closet and when they finally stopped, they started muttering things like _criminal _and _villain _and Ken was so, so confused.

Aunt Hina explained it all to him later, when they had finally left the police station and were heading to her apartment.

Apparently, his grandpa hadn't been very cool. Apparently, his grandpa was a villain. Apparently, his grandpa hadn't loved him at all.

And now Ken was back in the playground, sad and angry and hoping that his friends would cheer him up.

Except they didn't. Instead, his friends were being mean to him because his grandpa was a villain. They said that it meant Ken was a villain too even though he said he wasn't.

Not that they cared. Everyone had decided that Ken was a villain so he _had _to be a villain, which meant that he had to be defeated by the heroes too. And since all his friends were heroes except for him, they _all _had to defeat him because that was how heroes and villains worked.

It didn't matter that Ken was lying on the ground with bruises covering his entire body and dents splattered across both his wings, it didn't matter that every single part of Ken was aching, stinging, and throbbing. They were all allowed to keep hitting him because Ken was a villain and he _deserved _it.

So Ken cried. It was ugly and snotty and his friends _laughed _but Ken didn't care because they weren't his friends anymore and he didn't care about them at _all_ except for the fact that they made him _hurt._

But then his not-friends weren't laughing. And Ken had to blink lots of times because _Katsuki _was in front of him and he had little explosions in his palms that he was waving at his not-friends who all had big, red, swollen cheeks and slightly singed t-shirts.

His not-friends ran away. Ken would have too, if he had been them and not him.

Katsuki looked at Ken and snorted. "Looks like the bully got bullied."

He felt crying again, but then Katsuki held out his hand for Ken to grab and pulled him up.

"I have some salve in my bag," Katsuki said, leading him to the edge of the playground. "You can put it on your bruises."

"I-I thought you didn't like me anymore?" Ken stammered. He cringed at how sniffly his voice sounded.

Katsuki scowled, coming to a stop under a big shady tree. "I didn't like what you were _doing._ There's a difference."

Ken looked down. "But I'm a villain. So it doesn't matter."

Katsuki snorted, rummaging through a little blue bag that leaned on the trunk. "Your shitty grandpa is a villain, not you. Big difference." He held out a small grey tin with a bunch of white stuff inside. "Here," he said. "It's a salve for bruises. Put some on your wings first, they're probably sensitive."

Ken felt like crying again. Not because it hurt - though it did, but because he still had one kind-of friend.

"Thanks, Katsuki, " he whispered.

Katsuki only shrugged. "It's no big deal."

Except it was. It really, really was.


End file.
